Mahakal Returns by Shanky Goswami, Vikram Pannu

Released as part of Mahakal Returns, Mahakal Returns announced itself as a standout the moment it reached listeners. has a history of strong work, and the music on Mahakal Returns is among the most memorable of it.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Mahakal Returns, Shanky Goswami, Vikram Pannu clearly belongs in the second group. Hearing Mahakal Returns without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Mahakal Returns.

Released in 2021, it arrived at a time when Haryanvi music needed exactly this kind of sincerity. 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 3:25, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.