Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has given us some stupendous soundtracks in the past in form of Rang De Basanti and Delhi-6. AR Rahman and Prasoon Joshi were his able henchmen in those two ventures. While Prasoon has stayed on, Rahman has been replaced by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The good news is that they have connected well with Mehra’s musical’s sensibilities and have given us a score that stands true to the film’s subject and is pleasing to the ears at the same time.

The album starts with Gurbani sung with a heartfelt fervour by Daler Mehndi. The soulful number is over too soon and one wishes the devotional track had more length. The next track, Zinda, which runs in the background of the film’s promos and has gained popularity, marks the playback debut of Shankar Mahadevan’s son, Siddharth Mahadevan. The youngster has proven to be a chip of the old block and his vibrant voice is helped by a rock infused orchestration to provide us with a pulsating anthem.

Pakistani Sufi singer Javed Bashir, who made a name for himself in the MTV Coke studio, is the apt choice for Mera yaar. The instrumentation is kept minimal and Bashir’s haunting voice takes the lead and does full justice to the Sufi lyrics. Maston ka jhund is a situational number that buoys you with its get-up-and-go energy. Divya Kumar’s booming voice looks tailor-made for this inspirational song.

Another Pakistani singer, folk artiste Arif Lohar makes his presence felt in the title song Bhaag milkha bhaag. The guitar riffs in fusion with Arif’s trademark chimta and iktara take you to another plane. Siddharth Mahadevan sings its rock version, which despite being pleasant sounds too polished in front of Lohar’s raw rendering.

Now comes the fun, Slow motion angreza, which is a bhangra married to a waltz. This is another situational number whose true meaning will only be deciphered once we get to see the visuals. From the looks of it, it feels like a rustic Sardar is wooing a firang girl in his own inimitable way. Loy Mendosa sings the opening bars and one wishes he sang more often. Then Sukhwinder Singh takes over and one can feel the laughter in his voice as he sings the unusual lyrics.

The semi-classical Rangrez, with its predominant tabla and sitar arrangement is an aural treat reserved at the latter end of the album. Javed Bashir and Shreya Ghoshal do justice to the soulful lyrics. The track is not something we usually expect from S-E-L and is a happy reminder that the trio haven’t lost their ability to surprise us.

All-in-all, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a sort of comeback album for S-E-L, a reminder to their detractors that they can’t be written off that easily.