Mary Kom Music Review: One Of The Best Soundtracks Of This Year

Very rarely has Bollywood ventured into biographies and even more so when the concerned person is a living legend. Director Omung Kumar’s Mary Kom is one such rare film which presents the life and journey of Manipuri Boxer, Mary Kom who overcame all prejudices and odds to become a world class female boxer. Priyanka Chopra plays the awe-inspiring Mary Kom in this Sanjay Leela Bhansali production which also stars Darshan Kumar. Coming to the soundtrack, one expects the music to be predominantly motivational and inspiring considering the fact that the story marks the struggle of a female boxer in what is essentially a man’s world. But one can also expect other genres since this film is also an emotional drama apart from being a sports film. Newcomers Shashi Suman and Shivamm have quite a task on their hands to ensure that all the emotions are captured in the music and therefore fulfil the expectations of not just the Director and the Producer but also that of the music listeners in general.

Vishal Dadlani whips up our emotions with Ziddi Dil which, as the title suggests, is a song celebrating the never-say-die attitude of the protagonist. It is only fitting that such a rousing track be in the hard rock genre with Vishal going all out for this one. The composition (Shashi Suman) is foot-tapping and catchy and the lyrics (Prashant Ingole) are as expected quite stirring. All-in-All, a rousing start to the album as expected.

Arijit marks his entry into the album with the soothing Sukoon Mila. A pleasant melody, this Sandeep Singh written number is light and easy-on-the-ears and yet again reaffirms the fact that when it comes to melodies, there is none among the current crop of male singers who can match up to Arijit’s mellifluous vocals. Composer Shivam hits the bulls-eye with this track which should find reasonable popularity with the listeners.

Shashi Suman’s next track Adhure is yet another winner from this album. Though the mood is somber with the lyricist (Prashant Ingole) poetically enumerating the mindset of the protagonist whose dreams and aspirations have been crushed, the melody is at once soothing and heart-wrenching. It also gives a chance to Sunidhi Chauhan to showcase the softer aspect of her singing prowess. Completely in sync with the mood and setting of the song, Sunidhi goes softer, warmer and nails the melody with her mind blowing vocals with good support from the backing vocalist (uncredited) who does some very good folk humming giving the song its distinct north-eastern feel.

Shashi Suman’s other inspiring track Teri Baari is equally good if not better than Ziddi Dil! His choice of singer is slightly unorthodox but nevertheless after listening to the song seems absolutely spot-on. One is generally used to listening to Mohit Chauhan in soft numbers since his voice is soothing and melodious. But listening to him belting out a rousing track like Teri Baari makes one realize that this talented singer has been grossly under-utilized, even pigeon-holed (to sing only romantic melodies) in Bollywood! With a deadly combination of powerful lyrics (Prashant Ingole), inspiring composition and powerful singing, there is just no doubt that Teri Baari is among the best tracks to have come out this year!

After Sukoon Mila, it is the turn of Arijit to collaborate with Composer Shashi Suman for Saudebaazi which has him crooning to a more nuanced melody as compared to the former track. Not exactly outstanding but Saudebaazi is breezy and light and has its moments too especially the hook which is quite catchy.

Salaam India is the song which will ignite patriotic fervor in the listeners. Composed by Shivam and sung by composer-singers, Vishal Dadlani and Salim Merchant, this Sandeep Singh written track oozes patriotism in every word and the passionate emotions are well conveyed by the singers. Though it sounds more of a situational track there is not an iota of doubt that this track has the potential to become another Chak De India! But for us to measure the full impact it is essential that one views the song on the big screen.

Priyanka Chopra makes her debut as a singer in Bollywood with Chaoro and one can honestly say that it is a perfect launch pad for this singer-actress. This gentle lullaby is soft and beautiful and is sure to warm the cockles of your heart. Lyricist Sandeep Singh has again gone for the nativity touch by using authentic Manipuri words (like “Chaoro” which apparently means grow up in Manipuri) in this charming lullaby which works well in the song’s favor and composer Shashi Suman keeps the instrumentation to a minimum thereby giving Priyanka a chance to flex her vocal chords which she does so well that one cannot but help fall in love with this mesmerizing song.

To sum up, the soundtrack of Mary Kom is definitely among the best to have come out this year with not even a single sub-standard track in the whole album. Kudos to the young composers for having come up with such a refreshing soundtrack that one has heard after such a long time!

Our Picks: Adhure, Teri Baari, Chaoro, Salaam India and Sukoon Mila