Top Indian Songs of the week 24th March 2024

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 24th March 2024.

1. Nirmohi

Vocals: Himani Kapoor, Durgesh R Rajbhatt

Composition, Production by Durgesh R Rajbhatt

Lyrics by Manoj Yadav

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop Fusion

Mood: Trippy

Durgesh Rajbhatt is not just a super-talented composer/producer, he is also incredibly confident in his abilities, and this combination makes him consistent and unstoppable. I heard this song one early morning, and the melody and production together are so rich like a field studded with diamonds that I kept digging for more and I kept finding more. 

He composes this stirring melody and when the song is performed on the lead by Himani Kapoor, it is best to put everything aside and simply indulge in the song's beauty. It begins with some tantalising sounds probably of the Sitar and maybe a few plucks, and then the rhythms get the heart racing. Unpredictably the melody begins with the title 'Nirmohi se kaye takhraye re'. 

Himani sizzles with this register that probably alternates somewhere between the Tenor and Bass. Durgesh plunders our hearts with such stylish and substantial keys and rhythms. If the opening lines are not enough, the line "ghaayal ho gayi, de de davai re' is oozing with such melodious notes, but the heart blooms not just in that joy but also in the enthralling keys and synths. Manoj Yadav drives home the message with his lyrics but Himani with her ghamakas leaves a mark that is forever etched in our souls. 

The keys, pun intended, continue to unlock even more potential in the song and there is a magnificent shift from semi-classical to Synth-pop. In that particular antara that begins " ghaayal ho gayo" I did sense the pathos in the notes maybe thanks to Raag Charukeshi's influences. Right from the interlude, laden with Keys we enter a super stylish phase that could turn any dance floor dynamic. At the end of the stanza, we get the most beautiful segment with both Himani and Durgesh singing antara with just amazing passion and emotion. Himanshu Shirlekar is the mix/master engineer who just gives us a finely crafted end product for consumption. 

@kapoorhimani @durgest_r_rajbhatt @manojyadavwrites @mixedbyhim

2. Vaanmugil

Composed, Arranged, Orchestrated: Nishad G.

Vocals: Shashaa Tirupati, Sreekanth Hariharan, Anjana JP

Lyrics: Rishi K

Language: Tamil

Genre: Jazz/Symphony

Mood: Romantic

I have always followed the work of Nishad G closely because he has been a very dependable and talented music critic. I took inspiration from him and I used to be motivated when he would appreciate my reviews. Does that make me his equal after 4 years of my journey in music journalism? The short answer is 'No', because there is one crucial differentiator. He is a musician and I am not.

Well done Nishad, and this song is a testament to your abilities and I hope I can make a few more people listen to your splendour. Shasha Tirupati delivers along with Nishad a style that has impressed me over the last few years when vocalist Pratibha Singh collaborates with producers like Deepak Yadav and Meghdeep Bose. How can the soul not attain its ultimate purpose when we listen to such breathtaking Jazz? 

Nishad does the arrangements and Orchestration and he is accompanied by an army of musicians who leave no stone unturned. The strings are by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and all the amorous Brass section and Woodwinds are by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. In my honest opinion, someone like AR Rahman would be proud of this work, if it came from his repertoire. In the interlude, Nishad gets a Carnatic melody played by Abhay Nyampally on the electric guitar with such style and precision and if I am not wrong I heard traces of Raag Bihag. 

The gentle drums by Hiroshi “Matsukichi” Matsubara are like the touch of a feather and the guitar melody continues with even more background gusto heard on the Horns section. All along the Jazz elements are upgraded thanks to bassist Philip Kuehn, and Ashwin Raja on the Piano. This moment in the song when the Piano plays just after the thundering sounds gets all your attention. Sreekanth Hariharan joins the bandwagon and it is the emotionally apt delivery that sucks me in. 

The second verse where Shasha sings "together" is a heart-wrenching moment and an outro of this class is worthy of being incorporated into the climax of "You've Got Mail" when Tom Hanks wipes away Meg Ryan's tears and says " Dont cry SHOPGIRL". Rithu Vysakh plays the String Quartet and let us remember that along with Shasha there is another beautiful voice, that of Anjana JP. The poetic Tamil lines are written by Rishi K, the recording engineers are Taisei Adachi at Base6 Studio Shimokita, Tokyo, Sivanesh Natarajan at Shimmr Studios, Chennai, Dénes Rédly, Kouzou Miyamoto and Yoichi Hashiyada for recording track guitars. Sivanesh Natarajan needs appreciation of the highest order to bring all these varied and numerous tracks together on mixing. He is also the mastering engineer. 

@theindoencers @sashasublime @sreekanthhariharan @anjanajp @waltz_kanavugal @abhaynyayampallyguitar @filkeen @ashwin.raaja @rithuvysakh @shimmrstudios @sivaneshnatarajan @kausthub_ravi

3. Chandasina Chandadalli

Music Composed, Produced and Arranged by: Charanraj M R

Singer : Sidhartha Belmannu & Meghana Bhat

Lyrics : Dhananjay Ranjan

Programmed by: Charanraj M R & Sujith Sreedhar

Language: Kannada

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

No this is not a masterpiece by Ilaiyaraja from the 1990s. In case you were wondering, this is light music with a semi-classical touch, composed, arranged and produced by 2023's best composer Charan Raj. Thanks to his undeniable potential, we are blessed and we continue to hear such earworms that act like flawless Time Machines. A song that I was reminded of was "Chinna Chinna Vanna Kuyil" sung by S Janaki from the movie 'Mouna Ragam' and I believe there are shades of Raag Kiravani in this benevolent melody.

I always firmly believe that even a fabulous melody can be made into something glorious or marred out of shape by a playback singer/vocalist. That department causes no worry with the flamboyant classically-trained Siddhartha Belamannu showering love on every note and in turn we as music lovers get such a return on time invested. Meghana Bhat who sang one of 2022s best Kannada songs " Sakkare Putte", joins as the female lead. Sunil Sylvester's acoustic guitars make me fall in love again, and Napier Naveen's bass guitar stylises the whole song.

The very catchy percussions are folkish and they remind me of the masters Ajay-Atul in their work on the album 'Sairat'. Karthik Vamsi plays the percussion. Music can heal and yes you will feel rid of all your worries in the flute solo by Josay Allapuzha and Charan writes a heartwarming melody here. Everything goes silent, other than the percussion, bass and flute allowing Siddhartha and Maghana to touch our hearts deeply with their vocals. The string arrangements by Narayan Sharma are mesmerising and they are played by Carol George, Herald, Josekutty, and Francis Xavier of Kochi Strings. 

Once you read this long review, just close your eyes and listen to the magic unfold. The unstoppable strings in the outro and the whole song would make The Gods shower Karnataka with the water it so desperately needs now. The programming is by Charan, Sujith and the additional programming is by Narayan. The recording engineers are Aniket Mohanty, Fenn, Jisto, Bejoy & Roger, music supervisor is Venkatesh G Bhat. The mixing and mastering are done by Sujith Sreedhar @ 2bq Studios Chennai. The lyrics are penned by Dhananjay Ranjan

@charanraj27185 @siddhartha_belamannu @ayemeghana @narayan_sharma227 @venkateshmusic_ @sunil6string @napier_naveen @sujithsreedhar @josy_alappuzha @somusoundengineermovieofficial @

4. Madhu Pakaroo

Composed, Produced, and Arranged by Amrit Ramnath

Lyrics by Vineeth Sreenivasan

Vocals by Vineeth Sreenivasan

Rajasthani Folk Vocals by Devu Khan Manganiyar

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Qawwali- fusion

Mood: Happy

I have become so engrossed in the theatres in Mumbai these days, even before the opening credits of the movie. This is because theatres like PVR have started showing trailers for Regional films as well. One film that caught my eye is the multi-starrer " Varshangalukku Sesham", a Malayalam bonanza to be released in April. I also got excited because we have the musical score by Amrit Ramanth. I have featured this talented singer-songwriter many times in the last couple of years. 

Here comes the opening single and hold your breath, there are going to be more than a dozen. invited into this grand theatre with some unflappable strings section performed by Rithu Vysakh, Francis Xavier, Jossukutty and Herald and the arrangements are by Amrit. The melody until the pallavi and anupallavi has traces of Raag Nalinakanthi. The guitars decorate the background richly with Sandeep Mohan on acoustic guitars and Naveen Napier on bass. The backing vocals are performed by Amal C Ajith, Milan Joy, Soorya Shyam Gopal, Aswin Vijayan and Suroor Musthafa

The Rajasthani folk vocals in the interlude are by Devu Khan Manganiyar and Amrit seamlessly takes us from Nalinakanthi to Raag Maand. The percussions, claps and Harmonum is a match made in heaven, especially with the power of the chorus vocals. Towards the end of the stanza Amrit nicely arranges the strings section back in the background here. We have Anurag Rajeev Nayan on the Rubab, and the song is written and performed like a walk in the park by Vineeth Sreenivasan. The recording engineers are Maniratnam at Mystics, Amal Mithu at M Lounge, Arjun at Sonic Island (Kochi), and Nitin Muralikrishna at Island City. The tracks are mixed by Nitin and mastered by Ronak Runwal. 

@amritramnath @vineeth84 @visakhsubramaniam @thinkmusicmalayalam @palindromamusic @napier_naveen @rithuvysakh @anuragrajeevnayan

5. Coffee

Singer-Songwriter: Pranjli

Featuring Vocals: digV aka Digvijay Singh Parihar 

Production: Debo Sanyal

Vocal Producer: Aadi Arora

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

When I heard the song for the first time, I was so swayed by it that I couldn't get it off my head for a few days. The Ukulele just faintly gets my attention but the Pianos pile on the big bazookas and it is impossible to not fall in love. Pranjli has written the lyrics and melody and she sings the lead vocals along with digV. I love the tone of her vocals, sounding all cool and casual.  

A huge plus for this song is the production by Debo Sanyal and his arrangements are topnotch. The sound of the horns section makes it delightful along with the Piano and it is not only that, the vocal harmonies are also quite effectively done and enticing. Aadi Arra is the vocal producer. VaiMish is on the whistle and the song just oozes immense quality with the verse and chorus as well. Pranjli does fantastically in the harmonies as well, bringing about great innovation. Anuj is the recording engineer at Sound Forte, Noida

@debosanyal @thepranjli @digvijaysinghpariyarofficial

6. Welcome to Hyderabad

Music Composed, Arranged, and Produced: Vishnu Vijay

Lyrics: Suhail Koya

Singers: Shakthisree Gopalan, Kapil Kapilan, Vishnu Vijay

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Light Music/Pop

Mood: Romantic

The flute solo riff in the intro makes you entrapped in this melody and after that no matter how hard you try. you will not be able to escape the song's melodious web. Vishnu Vijay has composed, produced and arranged this addictive single, do check out the album "Premalu" for some amazing music. This is some amazing singing as well with Shakthisree Gopalan and Kapil Kapilan delivering absolute excellence. Suhail Koya is the lyricist. 

I love the keyboard programming and rhythms and the production is wholesome, with some awesome harmonies and bass guitars. The string EDM influence works well because the underlying melody is beautiful, only made better by Shakthisree's voice. Ramesh Vasudev is the vocal producer and he has a lot of work creating these constant sounds and lyrics like " Drake Song, I dig that" all through the song. Sujith Sreedhar is the mixing and mastering engineer at 2bq Studios and the recording engineers are Kashyap Ram Mohan, Fenn Philip, and Sanjay Romauld.

@vishnuvijay01 @koyachi @kapilkapilanmusic @shakthisreegopalan @ramesh_vasudev_ @sujithsreedhar

7. Mere Qareeb

Performed by Khwaab, Nupoor Khedkar

Written by IP Singh, Nupoor Khedkar

Produced by Khwaab

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

Nupoor Khedkar was featured a couple of years ago on this website, and ever since I have been tracking her releases. Although they haven't made it to the website, this song has every element that makes it a worthy single. The double bass has this amazing impact in the background along with the keys and rhythms. Nupoor writes the melody which has these wonderful notes and she performs the lead vocals with great efficacy. There are no gimmicks in her vocals, just substance. 

The reason the song appeals to me and anyone who has a keen ear for all the arrangements is because of Khwaab's stunning production. IP Singh pens the beautiful words. The saxophone is a creative addition to the interlude and makes things Jazzy. The chords on the Keys are powerful and they elevate the song's appeal. The vocal harmonies intervene at the right time and the presence of the saxophone is enjoyable too, thanks to Nigel Rajaratnam. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Abhishek Ghatak and the covert art is done by Gauri. 

@nupoorkhedkar @khwaab.music @safirock @theghatak @nigelrajaratnam @firstwav @gauriisokay 

8. Love is not a fucking game

Written, composed & performed by Kamakshi Khanna

Produced by Pranay Parti

Language: English

Genre: Pop

Mood: Contemplative

It is nice to have Kamakshi Khanna back on the list of India's best songs, and anyone who follows Indie music knows that it is difficult to keep her out from the best. The guitars are solid in the intro, playing like an accompaniment to Kamakshi's vocals but also guiding this romantic pop single forward. Sounak Saha and Kamakshi play the guitars.

The song's melody and lyrics are written by Kamakshi and she means business with these words, it is not a game. Karun Kannampilly plays the drums ever so mildly like he is barely intruding, but he makes his presence felt. Adil Kurwa is the bassist and the superlative production is by Pranay Parti. "You held me loose, and held me tight, but never held me right" is such a deep line, that describes relationships. The harmonies are well produced while Kamakshi sings these lines. 

Karun raises the ante as he starts playing something like the marching drums towards the end. Keshav Dhar is the mixing/mastering engineer and Ashyar Balsara is the recording engineer at Island City Studios. The ATmos mastering is done by Mukul Jain. Kamakshi leaves us with a touching vocal outro as sings "I don't wanna play your games, your games, your games, your games" with that touch of vulnerability. I also love the interesting artwork by Akshiena Khanna Kumar, creating a video game joystick. 

@kamakshikhannamusic @akshiena.design.studio @vasudharungta @natashamahtani @pranayparti @sounaksaha @karunk @a_diilla @ashyarbalsara @studioislandcity @keshavdhar @mixbymukul

9. Sab Achhi Baatein Hain

Singers: Araham Khan, Bodhisattva Sharma

Lyrics: Varun Grover

Music: Mayukh-Mainak

Language: Hindi

Genre: Folk-Pop

Mood: Energetic

I did a full album review of "All India Rank", directed by Varun Grover and music composed by Mayukh Mainak. The songs are excellent and they all feel like a breath of fresh air by this debutant Bollywood composer. Kudos to Varun for having reposed his trust in this musician. This will have to be my favourite from the album with lyrics by Varun and Araham Khan, and Bodhisattva Sharma on lead vocals. 

The folkish flavours are brought forward thanks to Tapas Roy on the Banjo, Mandolin and Dotara. The percussions are also regional and hence combine beautifully with the flute and strokes, and we have Arun N Solanki & Bhaskarjyote Das as the percussionists. The writing is unquestionably top-notch, as you would expect from Varun. I love the verse as it has a nice shift in tempo, once it progresses from "fair lovely hai" to " sab chikne panne hai, sab meete ganne hai" has the full impact of the guitars by Rickraj Nath playing acoustic guitar and bass. 

The chorus adds greater depth to the words being blurted out as it is the idea of more than one person singing, so we have Nachiket Lele, Chaitanya Mauli, Shubham Kabra, and Arhaan Hussain in the chorus. Why I love this song is that it is impossible to predict the trajectory of notes in the verses or even the pre and post-chorus segments. Paras Nath plays a blinder on the solo flute in the second interlude. Varun simply questions the idea of bookish knowledge with his lyrics here. Rupjit Das is the mixing engineer at Playhead Studio. 

@vidushak @parasnathflute @rupjit_playheadstudio @bhaskarjyotedas @mandolintapas @rickrajofficial @allindiarankmovie @mayukhmainak @arunpercs @bodhisattvasharma 

10.Haadsa/Moujza

Performed by Keshuv Huria, Shruti Prakash

Written by Keshuv Huria

Produced by Keshuv Huria

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

Keshuv Huria is a name I trust, not only for his quality but for the consistency and the ability to throw in a few surprises as well. Right from the naming of the song, Keshuv never settles for the ordinary and mundane. He writes the melody and the lyrics for this slow-burn of a love ballad. I have always liked the voice that Keshuv possesses as it feels raw, real and still very likable, in a world fraught with imitations.

The mild and reluctant piano conjoins the trembling voice of Keshuv and I am already imagining the protagonist experiencing the bittersweet symphony of love. He sings "Tu haadsa haseen sa, ya moujza zindagi ka" wondering if his lover is either a beautiful accident or a great miracle of life. The birds chirping along with the pianos, and then the mesmerising electric guitars sting like a bee. Shruti Prakash is someone I am hearing for the first time and what an exhibition. The interlude is simple but the keys do bring about a delightful moment in the song. The rhythms, and bass guitar add nice delicate layers.

I found the baritonish delivery by Shruti completely enticing as a listener and it makes the love song click better for me thanks to that choice. She also has a few ghamakas neatly executed. On the contrary, Keshuv's higher vocal register suggests his state of mind, a man with doubts, questions and confusion. The mild viola in the background helps add to the underlying pathos as well. My absolute favourite line of the song is " tujhe yaad karte karte yeh gaana bhi likh diya" and its beauty lies in the simple words and the stunning and heartwarming melody.  Reena Gilbert is the mix/master engineer and Harshul is the recording engineer

@keshuv_huria @shrutiprakash @firstwav @reena.gilbert @mr.hrshl

11. Khoj

Music Composed - Nikhil - Swapnil, Aditya Kalway

Music Produced - Nikhil - Swapnil

Singer - Aditya Kalway

Lyrics - Nikhil Swapnil and Aditya Kalway

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Contemplative

Stunning electric guitar riffs make headway in the intro and the first 10 seconds can indeed tell much about an entire song. When Aditya Kalway is involved I do make time for the song and like always I never end up disappointed. He not only enthrals the listener with his enigmatic voice but also co-writes the melody and lyrics along with Nikhil-Swapnil. When the lines "ik pal be tere bin kaise bitaaon" come on, I love the sound in the background that feels like the pluck/strum of the Viola according to me.

The antara section is an absolute delight with a very hummable melody and aided by some able musical production thanks to Nikhil-Swapnil. The rhythm programming feels larger than life and sets things into a groovy zone. The stanza is simple and short but never loses its sign on a good melody. Vocal harmonies and lo-fi elements all increase the song's relevance. 

@bassspeak @nikhilswapnil @adityakalway 

12. Mast Malang Jhoom

Singers: Vishal Mishra, Arijit Singh & Nikhita Gandhi

Music Composed, Arranged & Produced: Vishal Mishra

Lyrics: Irshad Kamil

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Dance

Vishal Mishra is the most featured Bollywood musician in my list of weekly reviews and it is no surprise. A heavy EDM influence gets this dance track going and good to hear both Vishal and Arijit on lead vocals. Naveen Kumar's flute riff is quite catchy, and he then proceeds to captivate us with a melody in the interlude. The live percussions are upbeat and that is what is expected from a dance track. We have Prashant Sonagra, Rishabh Shankar and Varad Kulkarni playing live percussions with Swaranjay Dhumal and Prashant on rhythms.

Nikhita Gandhi enters the fray in the stanza and she creates a sultry environment with her tone and delivery. Once again Vishal must be complimented for giving her a song she deserves. I love the electric guitars when the lines "surmai see beqaraari ishq sa to nasha koyi naa, tan qalandar man samundar" come in is my favourite part of the song. Irshad Kamil writes the lyrics and the amazing guitars are played by Rhythm Shaw. Bixal does the additional production, and Vishal's assistants are Kumar Gaurav Singh, Trihangku Lahkar & Bixal. 

We have backing vocals performed by Dipakshi Kalita, Kumar Gaurav Singh, Akash Ojha & Bixal. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Vishal Mishra & Trihangku Lahkar at VM Studio, with Trihangku also as the recording engineer along with Sukanto Singha and Vijay Dayal at YRF Studios.

@vishalmishraofficial @kamil_irshad_official @arijitsingh @nikhitagandhiofficial @zeemusiccompany @naveenkumarflute @prashantsonagra @rhythm_shaw @kumargauravsing @trihangkulahkar @swarasonic_official @dipakshi_kalita @akashojha.music

13. Ishq Mehfooz(Waiting on you)

Singer and Composer - Shekhar Ravjiani

Additional Vocals, Arranged & Produced by - Shivam Sengupta and Anuj Danait (Shivam-Anuj)

Lyrics - Avinash Chouhan (Juno)

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop Fusion

Mood: Romantic

Shekhar Ravijani becomes a completely different animal these days when he composes and works on an indie project and I have been featuring him numerous times thanks to his ability to weave a beautiful melody with very catchy sound design and production. They stick to the mind forever making it impossible to unlearn these lines, so thank you Shekhar for that. Here is a stunning tune that is composed with the influences of Raag Bhairavi.

This could easily become your loop-worthy number on your playlist conquering your hearts all day long. Shekhar sings the lines with such a restrained passion that is evidence of his skill. The guitars are there to enrich the angle of love while the amazing vocal harmonies beautify the melody incessantly. I love Shekhar has started infusing these English Pop lines in many of his indie songs and that works with the " Girl, I'm waiting on you" line here too. These additional vocals have all been arranged and produced by the talented duo Shivam Sengupta and Anuj Danait. 

The electric guitar solo is teasing and delectable and comes in as the interlude in the song. The stanza is simple with just a couple of lines, but the creative keys and rhythms make the song a complete package. Avinash Chauhan (Juno) is the lyricist for the song. I will keep listening to this outro with Shekhar's humming, the strings section in the background all taking me back to the priceless melodies of 1950s Bollywood. Hanish Taneja is the mix/master engineer. 

@shekharravijani @junoversse @garuudaamusiic @manastakle @shivaminsanegupta @anujdanait @mixedbyhanish