Action Jackson Music Review: Some Energy Here

Prabhu Dheva films have always boasted of chartbuster music. Wanted, Rowdy Rathore, Ramaiya Vastavaiya and R... Rajkumar - he has got it right each time around. Now that he is coming up with Action Jackson which has Himesh Reshammiya at the helm of affairs with Sameer Anjaan and Shabbir Ahmed as the lyricists, one expects a fun-filled fast paced soundtrack all over again.

It takes just a single listening of Keeda to realise the kind of route that the musical team has decided to take for Action Jackson. In the same mode as Pe Pe Pe (Coca Cola) from Shortcut Romeo, this number has all the elements of a 'dhinchaak' score that used to top Govinda-Karisma Kapoor films from the 90s. Circa 2014 and Himesh Reshammiya comes behind the mike along with Neeti Mohan for this Hinglish number by Shabbir Ahmed that doesn't even pretend to take itself seriously and is designed as an instant coffee outing. The song appears thrice in the album with one of it being a 'remix version'.

With alcohol and daaru being the flavor of 2014, it is not surprising to have a song dedicated to all the Punjabis who are happy to get drunk after sunset. Punjabi Mast is the song in question which has Himesh Reshammiya, Ankit Tiwari and Neeti Mohan sharing credits with Arya Acharya Vineet Singh and Alam Gir Khan joining in as well. A fast paced number which is made to bring people on the dance floors, 'Punjabi Mast' is written by Sameer Anjaan. Though one doesn't quite see much of a shelf life for the song, it could just do well in keeping the audience engaged as the film plays on in the smaller centers.

Prabhu Dheva has a knack for bringing an item number each in his films and it is no different for Action Jackson either, what with Chichora Piya making an appearance. Shalmali Kholgade, who is made to sound like Richa Sharma, is the chosen one for the job and while she brings in the kind of spunk required for a song belonging to this genre, one truly believes that this one is a hardcore single screen number that may not really entice the multiplex audience. Written by Sameer Anjaan, this out and out 'desi' number has Himesh Reshammiya also chipping in, mainly during the 'antara' portions while also spearheading the hook.

There is some 'thehrav' that comes into the proceedings, and rightly so, with the arrival of Dhoom Dhaam which is easily the best of the enterprise. Quintessentially 90s, what with Palak Muchhal sounding exactly like how Alka Yagnik did in the songs from the era gone by, it has Ankit Tiwari joining the proceedings too. A lovely melodious number that has easy and simple lyrics that Sameer Anjaan is known for, 'Dhoom Dhaam' is the kind of romantic song that Ajay has lip synched to in dozens, especially in the early part of his career. For those who swear by music of the 90s, this one is it.

The album concludes with Gangster Baby which has Neeraj Shridhar and Neeti Mohan coming together behind the mike. With a Western base to it, this Shabbir Ahmed written track has an early 80s feel to it in the way it is designed, orchestrated and executed. The beats totally belong to the disco era of Mithun Chakraborty and though words like 'mahiya' do pop up occasionally, rest of it keeps its loyalty with the 80s. This one too appears in a 'remix version', justy like 'Punjabi Mast' and 'Chichora Piya Remix'.

Overall, though the music of Action Jackson doesn't quite cover the kind of distance that earlier films of Prabhu Dheva has, it still has the kind of high energy score that is expected out of his films.

Our pick: Keeda, Dhoom Dhaam, Punjabi Mast