Salman to Aishwarya: When actors eat into singers' share of fame

MAIL

PRINT

Main bas tera banu... Bin tere naa rahu... Maine toh maangi hai yeh duaa
Dil hai yeh sochta... Phir bhi nahi pataa... Kis haq se kahun bata
Ki main hoon hero tera... Main hoon hero tera

Touted to be the love anthem of the year, Main Hoon Hero Tera has already found its place in almost every Bollywood fan's playlist. While some can't get over the magical lyrics of the song, others have drowned themselves in its melody. But for the entire 9 million-strong fan club of this song, one thing remains common - Salman Khan.

With his headphones in place and a perfect set-up of a vocal booth, Salman behind the microphone is a vision to behold for his innumerable fans. If the actor-turned-singer has made many girls go weak in the knees with this unplugged version, he has also become an inspiration for many lover boys.

While the promotional stunt has worked wonders for Bollywood's Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the original singer of the romantic track - Armaan Malik - has completely been sidelined. A singer by profession, Armaan has more than 20 Bollywood songs to his credit in a career span of eight years. And the latest chartbuster Main Hoon Hero Tera could have catapulted his career to another high altogether, only if Salman would have decided otherwise. Because it's 9.4 million hits on YouTube for Salman's auto-tuned version as compared to the original soundtrack (OST) by Armaan, which has managed to attract only 4.8 million views so far.

ALSO READ: Salman's version of Main Hoon Hero Tera becomes a hit, crosses 6 million views

Main gaayak toh nahi...magar...

Despite no formal training in music or vocals, actors are eating into singers' share of fame these days. Be it Salman Khan or Alia Bhatt, Bollywood actors have found their instant gratification in auto-tuning. Originally created to correct off-key inaccuracies, this technology has turned out to be a saviour for many B-Town stars, if they ever wish to go behind the microphone on a whim.

Several people still find it difficult to believe that Salman, who has lent his voice for songs like Hangover and Chal Mere Bhai in the past, can actually sound this good. But it's not just Salman they have their doubts on. Even Alia came under the scanner when she sung Sooha Saaha for her 2014 film Highway. The auto-tuned final version turned out to be a soothing lullaby. Touted to be Alia's debut song, Sooha Saha never came across as a duet, and Pakistani artiste Zeb Bangash was completely sidelined throughout the promotions.

Mile sur mera tumhara

But Alia soon shut her detractors up when she sung the unplugged version of Main Tenu Samjhawan Ki for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya, only a few months after her singing debut in Highway. Taking a cue from Alia, even Shraddha Kapoor dived into Bollywood singing with Galliyan (Ek Villain). Shraddha's voice may not be too soothing to the ears, but she definitely has some singing in her genes. Being the grandniece of Lata Mangeshkar and granddaughter of classical singer Pandharinath Kolhapure, Shraddha is not ready to give up on singing so soon. After Galliyan, she yet again took to microphone to sing Bezubaan reprise (ABCD 2). Even if the song did not make it to the music lover's list, Shraddha isn't ready to hang up her boots as a singer any time in the near future. In fact, she is currently training for rock music for her next film Rock On 2.

Yaha ke hum sikandar

On the one hand, actor-singers like Salman, Alia and Shraddha don't hestitate to test new waters even if it is just for the kick, other B-Town stars like Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar are quite serious about the singing business. From belting out a few singles to lending her voice in Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, Priyanka has gracefully earned the title of a pop singer. Added to that, of course, are her international hits In My City and Exotic. To give her company here is her Dil Dhadakne Do co-star Farhan Akhtar. It all began in 2008, when Farhan played a singer on screen in Abhishek Kapoor's Rock On, and since then, there has been no looking back for this singer-actor. From forming the rock band Farhan Live to singing in Bollywood films, Farhan has definitely come a long way in music.

Gaana aaye ya na aaye gaana chahiye

But passion for singing is not the only criteria to make it big as a singer in Bollywood. The mere news of an actor taking to the microphone for a film has all the masala to make it go viral. If Salman's Main Hoon Hero Tera has taken the internet by storm, his once-upon-a-time girlfriend Aishwarya Rai is now planning to add another feather in her cap. Buzz has it that Aishwarya will not just surprise her fans with her acting prowess in her comeback film Jazbaa, but she will also croon a song for the same. If reports are to be believed, director Sanjay Gupta finds Aishwarya's voice quite musical. And, even if it isn't, what is auto-tuning for, after all?