Yeh Dil Deewana - Vaade Iraade by Poornima Shrestha, Jatin Pandit

Yeh Dil Deewana - Vaade Iraade is the kind of song that earns its place in a playlist and then refuses to leave. Credit goes to Jatin, Lalit for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

The performance by Poornima Shrestha, Jatin Pandit is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. Hearing Yeh Dil Deewana - Vaade Iraade without thinking of Ayush Kumar, Mamta Kulkarni, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Vijayendra Ghatge, Satyendra Kapoor, Rakesh Bedi, Aanjjan Srivastav, Yunus Parvez, Tiku Talsania, Javed Khan, Irrfan Khan is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Vaade Iraade.

The song dates from 1994, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. Whether it plays on a long drive, during a quiet evening at home, or through earphones on a crowded commute, the song meets the listener where they are.

Running to 3:15, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Years from now, Yeh Dil Deewana - Vaade Iraade will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.