Farhan Akhtar: On A Song

The actor-filmmaker-singer says the time is ripe for indie artists to take advantage of a welcoming film industry.

- Nirmika Singh

His Multifaceted personality might be the first thing that strikes you – and what the media consistently tells you – about Farhan Akhtar, but ask the actor-filmmaker singer about this image of him and he says he doesn’t think too much about it. “You are so busy everyday…You don’t have the time to think about the whys and the hows,” he says. Akhtar is currently busy with the shooting of the sequel to his 2008 hit Rock On!!. The film is set in the scenic North East India and features most of the previous cast that includes Arjun Rampal, Prachi Desai and Purab Kohli, plus the new entrant Shraddha Kapoor.

It was seven years ago with Rock On!! that Farhan consolidated his identity as someone who was more than just a Bollywood filmmaker. He made his acting debut playing the main lead and sang six out of the ten songs on the soundtrack. Interestingly, that year was particularly good not only for acting debuts [Anushka Sharma, Imran Khan, Richa Chadda and Genelia D’souza starred in their first films in 2008] but it also saw some fine music courtesy of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Ghajini and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. However, Akhtar’s film and music, riding high on rock ballads replete with catchy riffs and distortion guitar, felt different, cooler if you will.