Tu Hi Tu - Kabhi Na Kabhi by M.G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra, A.R. Rahman

Not every song from Kabhi Na Kabhi lingers, but Tu Hi Tu - Kabhi Na Kabhi is the one that stays. A.R. Rahman sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The vocal on Tu Hi Tu - Kabhi Na Kabhi is among the better performances M.G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra, A.R. Rahman has committed to record. Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Pooja Bhatt gave the film its soul, and Tu Hi Tu - Kabhi Na Kabhi is the song that most directly channels that feeling into music.

The song dates from 1998, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. Tu Hi Tu - Kabhi Na Kabhi is the song for the end of a long day when you want music that understands something without being asked to explain it.

The 5:55 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.