Mitwa - Lagaan - Lagaan by A.R. Rahman, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Srinivas

Released as part of Lagaan, Mitwa - Lagaan - Lagaan announced itself as a standout the moment it reached listeners. The production by A.R. Rahman is understated in the best way — supportive without overshadowing the vocal.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Mitwa - Lagaan - Lagaan, A.R. Rahman, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, Srinivas clearly belongs in the second group. The story told by Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh in Lagaan finds its musical expression here — Mitwa - Lagaan - Lagaan is where the film's heart beats loudest.

The 2001 release gave fans something to hold onto — a track built for repeated listening rather than a single play. There is no right time to listen to Mitwa - Lagaan - Lagaan. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

At 6:47, the track does not overstay its welcome — it says what it needs to say and leaves the listener wanting more. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.