Khamosh Kyon Ho Taro - Alif Laila by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Shyam Sunder

Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Shyam Sunder has delivered memorable performances before, but Khamosh Kyon Ho Taro - Alif Laila sits comfortably among the very best. Credit goes to Shyam Sunder for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Shyam Sunder delivers the lyrics with a nuance that turns an already strong song into something genuinely moving. Featuring Asha Mathur, Nimmi, Vijay Kumar, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

The song dates from 1953, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. It is the kind of track that works at full volume with friends and equally well in a quiet room alone — the mood adjusts without the song changing.

Running to 3:22, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.