Bollywood actors who can actually sing

Actress Madhuri Dixit Nene made her singing debut on Saturday. The hope anthem is called ‘Candle’ and dedicated to all those on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. "This is dedicated to all those fighting on the frontlines. They are the real heroes today. We need to burn bright like the candles through the hurricane and emerge stronger together," read lines towards the end of the video. Here's a look at some other stars who can belt out a tune or two.

While we now know Ayushmann Khurrana as the powerhouse behind movies such as ‘Article 15’ and ‘Bala’, when he debuted in the 2012 comedy ‘Vicky Donor’, he also made quite an impression as a singer. His single ‘Pani Da Rang’ won him plaudits including Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer that year.

Is the ‘Andhadhun’ actor classically trained then? In an interview with Hindustan Times in February, he joked that he was, because when he would travel to perform a theatrical production, he’d sing on trains while en route to the stage.

So no list of actors who can sing is complete without Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, who made her debut in 2012 alongside Will.I.Am with the single ‘In My City’. A couple of years later, she released ‘Exotic’ (above) featuring Pitbull.

While her singing career never reached the heights of her acting one – she’s featured in a number of movies both Bollywood and Hollywood since those days – one can’t help but wonder if she’s gearing up for a musical reboot. Ever since she’s been self-isolating with her husband, Nick Jonas, she’s been getting some piano-playing lessons.

Guess powerful pipes run in the family. Priyanka Chopra’s cousin, Parineeti, whose movie credits include Kesari and Jabariya Iodi, can sing too. Rewatch ‘Meri Pyaari Bindu’ carefully to catch the actor’s raspy voice singing, “Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin’.

If Alia Bhatt was worried about her first musical outing, she picked the right vehicle. Her song ‘Sooha Saha’ which featured in the movie ‘Highway’ was composed by multi-Grammy-winner AR Rahman. Of course it was her vocal prowess that really delivered the blow – so good was she that she was invited soon after to sing in another film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. This time her song ‘Samjhawan Unplugged’ got its own special video release.

Ranveer Singh and Siddhant Chaturvedi in 2019’s 'Gully Boy'. Singh played a rapper from the street in the movie destined for great things including representing India at the Oscars. While it won many awards, it did not make it to the shortlist of the Academy Award contenders. But then, as Singh raps so enthusiastically in the movie: “Apna time ayega” [Our time will come].

Here’s a little known fun fact about Aamir Khan – he can really sing! Did you know, it was Khan the iconic ’Aati kya Khandala’ in ‘Ghulam’? He also rapped ‘Bum Bum Bhole’ from ‘Taare Zameen Par’ and ‘Dhakkad’ from Dangal. He was also the force behind the spoken song ‘Sarfaroshi Ki’ in ‘Rang De Basanti’.

Another veteran of the music world is actress Shraddha Kapoor, who debuted ‘Galliyan’ in 2014 film ‘Ek Villain’. Kapoor’s other singles include ’Do Jahaan’ from ‘Haider’ and the unplugged version of ‘Bezubaan Fir Se’, from ‘ABCD 2’.

Somehow job profiles seem to tumble onto Farhan Akhtar’s resume – he’s worked as an actor, director, screenwriter, producer, television host and singer. Sometimes he does these things simultaneously. For instance, in 2008, he not only made his acting debut in Rock On!!, he produced the movie, wrote the script for it and sang in it. Is there nothing he can’t do? Apparently not.

Salman Khan’s made a number of songs – his latest was made while self-isolating during the lockdown in india over the fear of the spread of coronavirus. ‘Tere Bina’ was shot, directed and sung the new single along with actress Fernandez, who is staying with him in his farmhouse during quarantine.