Mohabbat Hai Kya Cheez - Prem Rog by Suresh Wadkar, Lata Mangeshkar

There is an honesty to Mohabbat Hai Kya Cheez - Prem Rog that separates it from most Hindi songs released around the same time. Laxmikant, Pyarelal's arrangement gives the track a layered quality that rewards repeated listening.

The performance by Suresh Wadkar, Lata Mangeshkar is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. Rishi Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure, Shammi Kapoor, Nanda, Tanuja, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Om Prakash, Bindu, Vijayendra, Kiran Vairale, Raza Murad are at the heart of Prem Rog, and Mohabbat Hai Kya Cheez - Prem Rog captures their dynamic at its most compelling.

1982 was a strong year for Hindi music, and Mohabbat Hai Kya Cheez - Prem Rog was among the reasons why. Listeners have described the experience of Mohabbat Hai Kya Cheez - Prem Rog differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

The 7:11 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. The track stands as evidence that Suresh Wadkar, Lata Mangeshkar and Laxmikant, Pyarelal, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.