by Subhash K Jha

Remember Aamir's smash-hit number Aati kya khandala in Vikram Bhatt's Ghulam? Even the supreme songstress Lata Mangeshkar had commented on how tunefully Aamir sang this Jatin-Lalit number.

7 years later he's back at it. Though earlier in Lagaan he did lend his voice to a choral number in Lagaan, Aamir finally sings another full-fledged song in Rakeysh Mehra's Rang De Basanti.

The number entitled Lalkaar is a contemporary inspirational number written by Prasoon Joshi and composed by A. R Rahman who has been closely associated with Aamir since Lagaan.

Says Mehra, "Both Aamir and Rahman have been so closely associated with Rang De Basanti from the start, they know every heartbeat and rhythm in the plot. None of the ten songs in Rang De Basanti are items. They're all part of the narrative."

"Aamir's song comes at a critical juncture in the narrative. When we arrived at this song there was no hesitation—Aamir was the first and only choice. Rahman and I immediately thought of him. Aamir was the first and last choice for the Lalkaar track. And it's turned out so beautifully."

Adds Rakeysh, "What makes the music of Rang De Basanti as special as the music in my Aks is that the 10 songs didn't just happen in the studio. They grew out of the narrative. We'd scrap tunes, find new ones, create and re-create the songs until they jelled completely with the situations....And yes, Aamir was a part of the film's musical journey."