Music is pivotal to most Bollywood movies. It is in the nature, the pizzaz of Bollywood to have tunes that captivate. Although most actors take the lip-syncing route, some are actually just as gifted vocally as they are on screen, and they put those talents to good use. Here is a list of 5 Bollywood singers who are also gifted with musical ability.
- Ayushmann Khurrana
This acclaimed musician is no surprise to see as the first name on this list. Not only are most of his movies socially conscious, they also are graced with his musical talents. Take his recent Andhadhun, for example. For this role that he claimed was the most challenging of his life, not only did he sing but also trained four hours a day under an LA based pianist to be able to play the piano himself and not have to use a body double.
He has come to be one of those artists to have escaped a niche or a single tag like that of an ‘actor’ or a ‘singer’. With music like Mitti Di Khushboo and Filmfares for multiple performances, he has set himself apart as both.
- Farhan Akhtar
Another name that has warranted a spot in a list like this every to be made, Farhan Akhtar had made his musical (and acting) debut in Rock On. Despite many telling him his voice does not match the conventional playback singer’s, he has given the nation some of its best hits and not to forget, the kind of recitation of poetry (Re: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) that one is bound to remember.
- Alia Bhatt
Bhatt’s version of Samjhawan from Highway is still etched within our memories. The actress that moves with her performance also does the same with her voice. Bhatt has undergone years of vocal training at AR Rahman’s music school. Moreover, she refuses to be shy about her hobby and would begin to sing instantly if ever requested to do so in an interview.
- Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Writing, producing, acting, PeeCee has done it all. She has also had a brief rendezvous with music. One may think that her song In My City, but she has made both her musical and actig debut at the same time, a decade earlier. Chopra Jonas had first put her vocal talents to use for the Tamil film Thamizhan. And then there was her collaboration with US rapper and singer Pitbull on their 2013 song Exotic.
Nostalgic Pic!
Easily before two decades!
A Rare click during the recording session of my Debut Film @actorvijay anna starrer #Thamizhan And it is! @priyankachopra ‘s debut song as a singer❤️👍 #UllathaiKillathey pic.twitter.com/M3q2eSch3W— D.IMMAN (@immancomposer) August 10, 2021
However, recently, she had said, “It looks like I’m the person who’s choosing everything in my life, but it’s not true. I’m just like anybody else. I have spent a lot of time invested in things which were just not working, and I just stayed and stayed, but at some point, you have to choose yourself. Like, when I take my music, for example, I stayed to try it, but I had to recognise when it was not living up to my standards. I knew that it was futile to spend more time there and that’s important to understand,” at the Times LitFest about her shifting away from music.
- Madhuri Dixit Nene
Dixit Nene had made her musical debut in Devdas as she recited some poetry for Kaahe Chhed before she moved herself to Denver with her husband Shriram Nene, and away from Bollywood and the showbiz. She again took to the mic in 2007 for Aaja Nachle. But her real musical talents have been put to use much more recently, for Rangi Sari Gulabi of the film Gulaab Gang. She can be heard singing alongside her mother Snehlata Dixit, a trained Hindustani vocalist and an MA in Indian classical music. Her mother had always wished the daughter would have the same panache for music but Dixit liked to utilise all the time she had to spare dancing. She is now the primary singer on her song called Candle.
