Paathshala - Be a Rebel - Rang De Basanti by A.R. Rahman, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer, Mohammed Aslam

Not every song from Rang De Basanti lingers, but Paathshala - Be a Rebel - Rang De Basanti is the one that stays. The music, composed by A.R. Rahman, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

A.R. Rahman, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer, Mohammed Aslam delivers the lyrics with a nuance that turns an already strong song into something genuinely moving. The song is tied to Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, Siddharth Narayan, Soha Ali Khan, R. Madhavan, Waheeda Rehman, Kunal Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, whose presence gives Paathshala - Be a Rebel - Rang De Basanti a visual dimension that fans of the film will always associate with it.

The song dates from 2006, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. There is a quality to Paathshala - Be a Rebel - Rang De Basanti that makes it feel like company — the kind of song you put on when words feel insufficient.

Running to 3:09, 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.