Nishaan by Kaka, Deep Prince

The Nishaan album has several strong tracks, but Nishaan is the one most listeners come back to first. The production by Kaka is understated in the best way — supportive without overshadowing the vocal.

Kaka, Deep Prince inhabits this song completely, making every phrase feel like it was written specifically for this voice. Featuring a talented ensemble cast, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

By the end of 2021, Nishaan had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. Listeners have described the experience of Nishaan differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

Running to 3:29, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Punjabi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.