Zabaan Jale Hai - Dedh Ishqiya by Vishal Bhardwaj, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

There is an honesty to Zabaan Jale Hai - Dedh Ishqiya that separates it from most Hindi songs released around the same time. Vishal Bhardwaj sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

Vishal Bhardwaj, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan delivers the lyrics with a nuance that turns an already strong song into something genuinely moving. The chemistry of Arshad Warsi, Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit, Huma Qureshi is embedded in every moment of Zabaan Jale Hai - Dedh Ishqiya, making it as much a performance as a song.

By the end of 2014, Zabaan Jale Hai - Dedh Ishqiya had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. Some music is background. Zabaan Jale Hai - Dedh Ishqiya demands attention — not aggressively, but in the way a good conversation does.

Running to 5:23, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. The song continues to find new listeners, which is the surest sign that it was made with something genuine at its core.