Trevor Jones’ Promentory theme from the 1992 film Last of the Mohicans (1992) helped Farhan Akhtar portray legendary athlete Milkha Singh in the 2013 biographical drama Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, the actor-filmmaker said in a social media post on Tuesday.

In a long note on Instagram, Farhan explained how the music’s progression mirrored the journey of Milkha Singh, with his life’s struggles and triumphs encapsulated in the dramatic, ominous and repetitive tones of the theme.

“Through the making of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, this theme by Trevor Jones emerged as the one that got me there. It starts dramatically with seemingly ominous tones and is then followed by a folksy fiddle motif that repeats and repeats... but if you listen close enough, there’s something subtly building underneath that finally leads to the release of all that pressure and expectation—the victory theme. This, to me, represented Milkha ji’s life in one piece of music. It played constantly on my headphones throughout the making of the film,” he wrote, sharing a clip of the final race in the film, set to the theme, to demonstrate his point.

Farhan also emphasised how creating a playlist that aligns with the film’s underlying themes helps him connect with his characters. “Part of my process (with certain characters) is to create a playlist of music that helps me identify with the underlying theme of the film and the psychology of the person I’m portraying,” he wrote, adding that no other crew member, except the director, knew about his source of inspiration.

Farhan recounted hearing the theme again on Monday while on the set of his upcoming production venture 120 Bahadur in Ladakh. “Yesterday on set in Ladakh, I happened to hear the theme while waiting for the crew to get a shot ready and wondered what it would be like if this theme was dropped in on the final race,” shared the 50-year-old actor.

Acting on the idea, he incorporated the theme into Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’s final race sequence. It resulted in what he describes as a “pure, untouched moment of cinematic magic.” “The edit is untouched. Enjoy,” Farhan signed off.

Released theatrically on July 12, 2013, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag also stars Divya Dutta, Meesha Shafi, Pavan Malhotra, Yograj Singh, Art Malik, and Prakash Raj in key roles with a cameo appearance by Sonam Kapoor. According to industry data-tracking site Sacnilk, the sports biopic garnered Rs 168 crore worldwide, emerging as the sixth highest-grossing film of the year.

On the work front, Farhan recently unveiled the poster of his upcoming production venture 120 Bahadur, a film based on the real-life story of Major Shaitan Singh, an Indian military officer who commanded a troop of 120 soldiers during the India-China war of 1962. Farhan is also credited as the producer on Siddhant Chaturvedi and Malavika Mohanan’s upcoming action drama Yudhra.

Farhan’s latest single Reach For The Stars dropped on August 29. Additionally, the actor is gearing up for his upcoming directorial venture Don 3, which stars Ranveer Singh in the titular role with Kiara Advani playing the female lead.