Satarangi Re - Dil Se by Sonu Nigam, Kavita Krishnamurthy

Sonu Nigam, Kavita Krishnamurthy has delivered memorable performances before, but Satarangi Re - Dil Se sits comfortably among the very best. The music, composed by A.R. Rahman, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

Sonu Nigam, Kavita Krishnamurthy understood what this song required and delivered it without excess — the restraint itself becomes the emotion. For fans of Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Satarangi Re - Dil Se is one of those songs that immediately conjures specific scenes and emotions.

1998 was a strong year for Hindi music, and Satarangi Re - Dil Se was among the reasons why. Some music is background. Satarangi Re - Dil Se demands attention — not aggressively, but in the way a good conversation does.

Running to 7:25, 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 Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.