Tum Jo Aaye Jindagi - Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai by Tulsi Kumar, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Not every song from Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai lingers, but Tum Jo Aaye Jindagi - Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is the one that stays. Pritam built the instrumental foundation carefully here — every element earns its place in the mix.

Tulsi Kumar, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. Shahid Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak gave the film its soul, and Tum Jo Aaye Jindagi - Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is the song that most directly channels that feeling into music.

In 2010, Hindi produced many songs, but Tum Jo Aaye Jindagi - Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai was one of the handful that genuinely cut through. Tum Jo Aaye Jindagi - Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is the song for the end of a long day when you want music that understands something without being asked to explain it.

Running to 4:48, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Songs like Tum Jo Aaye Jindagi - Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai are the reason people fall in love with Hindi music and never quite fall out of it.