Parag Chhabra is one of those new composers who have left a mark with their original compositions and distinctive style. Parag’s songs for ‘Waah Zindagi’ and ‘Good Luck Jerry’ were enjoyable and inventive in equal measure. As you hit the play button on the ‘An Action Hero’ album, you are not sure what to expect from it.
Despite its title, the trailer of the film has given a clear indication about it being a slightly unconventional film. Also, the film does not seem to have a romantic track. So, the scope of songs being added to the narrative goes down further. As you go through the listings on the album, you realize the soundtrack is a mix of original and remixed/recreated tracks. While Parag has done the original tracks, Tanishk Bagchi has been entrusted with the responsibility of the recreations.
You get a sense of impending doom as you listen to “Ghere”, composed by Parag Chhabra and written by Vayu. Each and every person associated with the track contributes towards ensuring the ‘darkness’ in the situation it has been designed for in the film comes to the fore effectively. Parag puts together a layered composition that kicks a punch. It is also a very stylish track that has been produced very well. The vastly underrated Vivek Hariharan sings the track with gusto and leaves an indelible mark with his powerful rendition. “Chup se paani mein jo kankad pad gaya, chhipi lakeerein chal padin”…Vayu’s lyrics are one of the highlights of the song. The rap portion has been placed appropriately in the song.
“Asli Action Chalu/Theme Song” kicks off with a very catchy music piece performed on a plucked instrument by Tapas Roy. This instrument plays an important role throughout the track. D’evil, who delivered a brief rap portion in “Ghere”, is the lead vocalist/rap here. He has also written the Hindi rap portions. While D’evil leaves an impression with his deep baritone, Shah Rule also leaves a mark with the English rap portions he writes and performs.
“An Action Hero Theme” can be described as a shorter, instrumental version of “Asli Action Chalu”. The plucked instrument has been used generously here as well. Apart from working well as a thematic track for the film, it also holds a lot of appeal for those who would want to hear it as a standalone audio track. One expects it to be played at multiple junctures in the film.
What bothers one while reading the credits for “Aap Jaisa Koi” is that the original creators of the song have not been mentioned on the official album uploaded by the music label on its YouTube channel. While Tanishk Bagchi gets top billing as for recreating the track, Biddu, the composer behind the original track, does not even get a mention.
“Aap Jaisa Koi” is one of the better creations (or recreations) from Tanishk’s stable in recent times. Unlike most of his recent recreations which featured generic beats and sounds, he has put in some thought while producing the track. The music production complements the original tune well. When you compare the verses written by Indeevar and the ones Tanishk has scribbled down, you realize the difference between a skilled writer and a music director who is hell-bent on ruining his own song with amateurish writing. While Zahrah S Khan leaves a solid impression with her spirited rendition, it is a pleasant surprise to hear Altamash Faridi sing a song of this nature. His brief appearance adds some freshness to the track.
Tanishk makes a few changes to the original “Jehda Nasha”. However, none of his additions take away the essence of the original track. Thankfully, he hasn’t written any ‘additional lyrics’ here. Female vocalists are here. The recreated track here is not too different from the original track that was composed by Amar Jalal and Faridkot and was an absolute earworm.
With ‘An Action Hero’, Parag Chhabra shows yet again that he is an inventive composer who is not afraid to experiment with new sounds. Despite the limited scope given to him here, the composer does well. As far as Tanishk is concerned, he does what he does best, a little better.