One does not really have huge expectations from the music of an action film as there is not much scope to include songs in films made in this genre. Till the ’90s or even the early 2000s, filmmakers would force songs in every film, even when there was not the requirement of as many songs in the film. Times have changed and we come across several films where there are a limited number of songs or no song at all. In ‘Commando’ (2013), there were four original tracks, most of which fit organically in the narrative. The film marked the debut of composer Mannan Shaah who left a good impression by putting together songs, all of which were different from each other, in this action thriller headlined by Vidyut Jammwal. The composer (along with Gourov-Roshin who recreated “Hare Rama Hare Krishna” from ‘Bhool Bhulaiya’ (2007)) put together a decent soundtrack for ‘Commando 2’ (2017) with “Tere Dil Mein” being the highlight of the soundtrack. ‘Commando 3’ has four songs, two composed by Shaah and two set to tune by Vikram Montrose who composed two songs (“Kar Har Maidaan Fateh” and “Baba Bolta Hain Bas Ho Gaya”) for the Ranbir Kapoor starrer ‘Sanju’ (2018).
Earlier this year, the music of ‘Gully Boy’ familiarised a large section of Hindi film music fans with rap music. It is the kind of music wherein the performer uses rhythmic speech and street/commonplace vocabulary to render a track. “Tera Baap Aaya”, composed by Vikram Montrose, is a track which falls in the same genre. The song is consistently engaging and also gives you an idea of the world the film is set in. There is a sense of urgency in the track and you almost visualise a chase sequence as the track plays along. Farhad Bhiwandiwala, who has also co-written the track with Montrose, lends the right amount of attitude to the track and renders it well.
There is a change in mood with the arrival of “Akhiyaan Milavanga”, the second track in the album. The romantic flavour in this Mannan Shaah composed number is in sharp contrast to the aggressive energy one just witnessed in “Tera Baap Aaya”. The tune is nice and breezy and the Punjabi verses written by Sahil Sultanpuri complement it well. The lines written by Sultanpuri are actually the highlight of the song and would strike a chord with even the ones who do not understand Punjabi very well. Arijit Singh is terrific, as always. Newcomer Sruthy Sasidharan gives a very good account of herself as well. She needs to work on her (Punjabi) diction though; she pronounces ‘saudaa’ as ‘sodaa’.
Vikram Montrose who had collaborated with Sukhwinder Singh last year for “Kar Har Maidaan Fateh” (‘Sanju’) gets him to sing “Iraade Kar Buland” which is in a slightly similar space. Just like “Tera Baap Aaya”, there is an element of action and energy here too. A rap portion is also added to the mix. The song does not make much of an impression in the first hearing but there are a few standalone pieces that stay with you. The popularity of the song would depend on the way it is picturised and the impact of it leaves visually.
As you finish listening to “Main Woh Raat Hoon”, you realise this is a song that would probably arrive in the climax/pre-climax portion of the film or it would make an appearance in a very crucial juncture in the film. In the song, the protagonist talks about redeeming himself after going through a low or coming face-to-face which slowed down his steps. Ankit Tiwari’s powerful rendition greatly helps in uplifting the song. His voice successfully captures the pathos in the situation and beings out the emotions which the protagonist is going through effectively to the fore.
‘Commando 3’ is a good album wherein Mannan Shaah leaves a strong impact with his two songs. He had shown great range as a composer with his songs in ‘Namaste England’ (2018) and one keenly looks forward to his next project where, hopefully, he will get more to do. Vikram Montrose does well with “Tera Baap Aaya” but his other track does not have much to offer sonically. He also has to be very careful about not getting stereotyped because of the songs he composed for ‘Sanju’ and now, for ‘Commando 3’.
Rating: 3/5
