Shaft Of Light - Tahaan by Taufique Qureshi

Released as part of Tahaan, Shaft Of Light - Tahaan announced itself as a standout the moment it reached listeners. Taufique Qureshi's arrangement gives the track a layered quality that rewards repeated listening.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Shaft Of Light - Tahaan, Taufique Qureshi clearly belongs in the second group. On screen, Purav Bhandare, Victor Bannerjee, Sarika Kapoor, Sana Shaikh, Anupam Kher, Rahul Bose, Rahul Khanna bring the emotional world of the song to life in a way that enhances rather than competes with the music.

2008 marked the release of Tahaan, and Shaft Of Light - Tahaan was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. Some music is background. Shaft Of Light - Tahaan demands attention — not aggressively, but in the way a good conversation does.

In 2:05 minutes, Shaft Of Light - Tahaan builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. Shaft Of Light - Tahaan has earned its place in the catalogue of Hindi music that genuinely matters. The listeners who found it early already knew.