Mehbooba Mehbooba - Ajnabee by Adnan Sami, Sunidhi Chauhan

Mehbooba Mehbooba - Ajnabee arrived from the Ajnabee album and quickly became one of the most replayed tracks of 2001. The production by Adnan Sami, Sunidhi Chauhan, Anu Malik is understated in the best way — supportive without overshadowing the vocal.

Adnan Sami, Sunidhi Chauhan understood what this song required and delivered it without excess — the restraint itself becomes the emotion. Hearing Mehbooba Mehbooba - Ajnabee without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Ajnabee.

By the end of 2001, Mehbooba Mehbooba - Ajnabee had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. It fits the playlist for almost any occasion, which is rare — most songs have a narrow emotional window. This one does not.

The concision of Mehbooba Mehbooba - Ajnabee — just 7:27 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. The track stands as evidence that Adnan Sami, Sunidhi Chauhan and Adnan Sami, Sunidhi Chauhan, Anu Malik, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.