If there’s one trend that is visible, and quickly catching on, in the Hindi film industry, it is the act of film stars singing in their own voices. Farhan Akhtar caught the singing bug during Rock On and has never looked back. Other actors who continue to dabble in singing include Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Hrithik Roshan. Aamir Khan’s ‘Aati Kya Khandala’ from Ghulam is infamous. The latest actor to join this illustrious list is Salman Khan. Making waves, both on social media and off it, is the immodest Salman Khan, who not only sang a tune recently but also crowned himself the best singer amongst contemporaries, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
The actor, who was joined by Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, at the recent promotional event for his home production, Hero, joked on stage that he was the best amongst the lot. The story goes that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was asked about his experience of working with both Salman and Shah Rukh to which Rahat responded: “I have heard only Salman Khan’s song. I am yet to hear Shah Rukh Khan’s song. Salman bhai can sing himself.”
Apparently Salman Khan intervened and added: “No chance… it’s a losing battle. Don’t listen. He (Shah Rukh Khan) will raise my hand (in victory).”
To be fair, Salman Khan wasn’t taking himself too seriously either. Calling himself an idiot, the actor remarked, “A song becomes a hit depending on the tune and not the singer. An idiot like me just sang and it got million hits. I don’t know ‘sur’ or ‘taal’ from any angle.”
Hero, directed by Nikhil Advani, and a remake of a Subhash Ghai film, marks the cinematic debut of Bollywood kids, Sooraj Pancholi, son of Aditya Pancholi and Athiya Shetty, the daughter of Sunil Shetty.
