The Laal Kaptaan soundtrack has just four songs. The songs in Navdeep Singh’s 18th century-set drama are meant to be used as background score, the director had previously Scroll.in. In such cases, the music is usually lacklustre, with the sole purpose being to bring scenes together. Laal Kaptaan’s music is not bad at all, and there’s at least one song that shows that composer Samira Koppikar is here to stay.
Lahu Ka Rang Kara is a really memorable tune and perfectly suits Koppikar’s voice. The general mood of the album is gloomy and apocalyptic, which hits a peak with this track. Lyricist Sahib writes that life is a battlefield, death is the only destination, and everything is black, from the blood to the clouds. The guitars, the operatic synths and the electronic percussion – everything is on point. Sadly, the track is only two-and-a-half minutes long.
The Laal Kaptaan soundtrack essentially sounds like a Sanjay Leela Bhansali album for his period flicks, except with all the joy sucked out. The slightest bit of fun comes in Red Red Najariya, an odd title considering the film’s setting. The lyrics celebrate the awesomeness of the “zaalim kaptaan”. Sung by Shreya Ghoshal, it sounds like the sort of hip mujra songs we get in Hindi period films today.
An interesting song is Kaal Kaal. You can’t outrun and escape time, lyricist Saurabh Jain writes. It’s a slow, sinister song, with its ethnic percussion reminiscent of several Ajay-Atul compositions. The thematically appropriate rap by Dino James is a surprise that never lets the track get boring.
Taandav lives up to its title, but it’s a lesser cousin of Aarambh Hai Prachand (Gulaal, 2009). The Shiva-referencing lyrics underline the protagonist’s all-consuming anger. It’s a folksy, rustic song delivered at such a pace by Brijesh Shandilya and Kailash Kher that perhaps getting the song’s lyrics is not as important as getting its vibe, according to which Saif Ali Khan is mad and out to get you.
Also read:
In Navdeep Singh’s Saif Ali Khan-starrer ‘Laal Kaptaan’, a story of ‘man versus nature’
Saif Ali Khan interview: ‘The only image is that of an actor who likes to mix things up’