Paisa Paisa Paisa - Trishakti - Trishakti by Altaf Raja, Sonu Nigam

Not every song from Trishakti lingers, but Paisa Paisa Paisa - Trishakti - Trishakti is the one that stays. Rajesh Roshan sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Paisa Paisa Paisa - Trishakti - Trishakti, Altaf Raja, Sonu Nigam clearly belongs in the second group. Hearing Paisa Paisa Paisa - Trishakti - Trishakti without thinking of Sharad Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Radhika is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Trishakti.

1999 was a strong year for Hindi music, and Paisa Paisa Paisa - Trishakti - Trishakti was among the reasons why. 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.

The 7:24 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. The track stands as evidence that Altaf Raja, Sonu Nigam and Rajesh Roshan, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.