As Rang De Basanti completes 20 years today, the film’s music, composed by A R Rahman, continues to resonate across generations. From Luka Chuppi, voiced by the late Lata Mangeshkar, to Masti Ki Paathshala, the soundtrack remains as popular as ever.

Reflecting on the milestone, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who directed the film, says, “I believe the film has turned 20 years younger instead of 20 years older.”

Recounting memories from the making of the film, the 62-year-old says, “Just when we were to shoot the film I had a severe case of jaundice and was hospitalized but we started rehearsals since I had everyone’s dates locked. So I believe blessings come in disguise,” he says.

Mehra adds that much of the film’s music was conceptualized early on: “We had the film recorded like a radio program before we started shooting. I took that recording to A R Rahman in Chennai. He sat on his piano and started making the track based on the recording. The process with AR is, we talk a lot about the film, the characters and the reason I’m making a film. We enjoy meals together, go from drives and music just happens”

Sharing trivia about Luka Chuppi, Mehra reveals it was never part of the original plan: “The film was complete and we were doing the background music. When AR saw the scene he just stopped and composed that song.”

Playing down the recent controversy around Rahman’s remarks about his reduced workload, Mehra focused instead on the timelessness of the composer’s music, saying, “I love his music, good work is timeless. When you listen to songs by composer-duo Shankar-Jaikishan, singer Mohd Rafi and lyrisict Gulzar, you savour it. We are blessed that AR has given us such beautiful music.”