Kranti Kranti - Kranti by Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, Shailendra Singh, Nitin Mukesh

There is an honesty to Kranti Kranti - Kranti that separates it from most Hindi songs released around the same time. Laxmikant, Pyarelal sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The voice of Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, Shailendra Singh, Nitin Mukesh carries Kranti Kranti - Kranti effortlessly, which is the highest compliment a song can give its singer. For fans of Dilipkumar Roy, Hema Malini, Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Shatrughan Sinha, Kranti Kranti - Kranti is one of those songs that immediately conjures specific scenes and emotions.

The song dates from 1981, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. There is no right time to listen to Kranti Kranti - Kranti. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

Running to 2:57, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Years from now, Kranti Kranti - Kranti will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.