Surma by Kabeer, Anandita Sharma

Surma works because it does not try to do too much — it finds one feeling and holds it perfectly. The Beatmen 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 Surma, Kabeer, Anandita Sharma clearly belongs in the second group. The story told by Anandita Sharma in Surma finds its musical expression here — Surma is where the film's heart beats loudest.

2020 marked the release of Surma, and Surma 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 3:41 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. This is music that holds up — not because it is perfect, but because it is honest, and honesty in a song is irreplaceable.