Ruby Ruby - Sanju by Shashwat Singh, Poorvi Koutish

Few songs from 2018 have held their ground as well as Ruby Ruby - Sanju, a track that keeps finding new audiences. A.R. Rahman built the instrumental foundation carefully here — every element earns its place in the mix.

Shashwat Singh, Poorvi Koutish understood what this song required and delivered it without excess — the restraint itself becomes the emotion. On screen, Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Vicky Kaushal, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani bring the emotional world of the song to life in a way that enhances rather than competes with the music.

The song dates from 2018, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. It fits the playlist for almost any occasion, which is rare — most songs have a narrow emotional window. This one does not.

The 4:45 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.