Who says traffic jams are always irritating? Famous music directors had composed their masterpiece on a road, stuck near a Mumbai hospital in a jam

Whenever we like a song, we often wonder how the idea came about, how the song was composed, and what inspired it. Every song has its own unique story, and one such story is about the composition of an iconic track from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The song, O Rangrez, sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Javed Bashir and composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, was picturised on the film’s lead actors, Sonam Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar.

How was O Rangrez composed?

Recently, renowned musician Shankar Mahadevan shared how they composed this song. Speaking to Mashable India, he revealed that the song was created in Mumbai traffic. Yes, you read that right. “Ehsaan and I were both in separate cars, stuck in traffic on Hill Road,” Shankar recalled. “We ended up composing the entire song while sitting in parallel lanes. I was stuck near Holy Family Hospital, right behind the police post, and he was in the opposite lane. We kept sending each other voice messages and built the whole track during that jam. The idea actually came to life right there, in the middle of a traffic standstill.”

That’s how Shankar and Ehsaan composed this memorable song, which has won millions of hearts.

More about Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

For the unversed, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is an acclaimed biographical drama based on the life of legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh. The film was released in 2013 and stars Farhan Akhtar in the titular role, supported by a talented ensemble cast including Kousi Orfahli, Pawan Malhotra, Sonam Kapoor, and Divya Dutta. The movie chronicles Milkha Singh’s emotional and physical journey, capturing the key moments that shaped him into one of India’s most celebrated athletes.

Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and written by lyricist-screenwriter Prasoon Joshi, the film received widespread praise from both audiences and critics. Produced on a budget of Rs 30 crore, it went on to gross Rs 168 crore worldwide, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.