Pyar Hai Gunah - Paapi by Lata Mangeshkar, Bappi Lahiri

Not every song from Paapi lingers, but Pyar Hai Gunah - Paapi is the one that stays. The production by Bappi Lahiri is understated in the best way — supportive without overshadowing the vocal.

Lata Mangeshkar, Bappi Lahiri inhabits this song completely, making every phrase feel like it was written specifically for this voice. The connection between Sunil Dutt, Reena Roy, Zeenat Aman, Sanjeev Kumar, Prem Chopra, Padma Khanna, Danny Denzongpa, O. P. Ralhan and this song is part of what makes it resonate beyond the film itself.

1977 marked the release of Paapi, and Pyar Hai Gunah - Paapi was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. 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 concision of Pyar Hai Gunah - Paapi — just 4:13 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.