Do fine actors make remarkable singers?

Stars trying their hand at playback music is not a new fad in tinseltown

For a while now, the younger generation of actresses has been bitten by the singing bug. Not exactly proficient at exercising their vocal chords before the mic, they continue to enter and re-enter a domain once ruled by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle (any comparisons with these greats would be ghastly, of course).
So, I was hardly surprised when Sonakshi Sinha was recently targeted when she was apparently selected as one of the opening acts for the Justin Bieber concert in Mumbai. Star power or singing prowess - what could possibly be the reason she'd be selected?
After being repeatedly trolled on social media, and criticised by eminent names from the music fraternity, such as Kailash Kher, Sonakshi finally declared that she wouldn't be performing with 'Bieber baba'; there were some informal discussions with the organisers that had led to the wicked whispers.

If anything, the controversy begs the question: should heroines try their hand at a skill that requires utmost dedication and formal training? After all, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan are very much around and certainly sound easier on the ear. Perhaps the only true singing stars, who acted as well as frequently recorded the songs picturised on them, were the 1940s sensations Suraiya and Noor Jehan, who settled in Pakistan after the Partition in 1947.
Meena Kumari did recite poems for her widely cherished album I Write, I Recite, but, by and large, actresses stayed away from the recording studio, unless it was to speak a line or two of dialogue mid-song. For instance, Vyjayanthimala did so for Buddha Mil Gaya in Sangam (1964), Rekha for Rafta Rafta in Kahani Kismat Ki (1973) and Sridevi for the title song of Chandni (1989). With her distinctly nasal voice, Salma Agha too left a mark in Nikaah (1982) and Pati, Patni Aur Tawaif (1990) while Sulakashana Pandit playbacked her own songs in Uljhan (1975) and Apnapan (1977), among others.
Today, every second heroine wishes to warble and record a song, a trend pioneered by Priyanka Chopra, who sought to hit the international market with songs such as In My City and Exotic (featuring Pitbull). Did these songs evoke mass frenzy? Nope, even though you have to commend Priyanka for giving it a shot in an already overcrowded global music business. Her cousin Parineeti Chopra, on the other hand, has just recorded the song Maana Ke Hum for her upcoming romcom Meri Pyaari Bindu. Even as the song received 17 million hits on YouTube, there were reports claiming that her voice had been 'auto-tuned'! Parineeti was obviously not amused. Not only did she deny the allegation but went on to claim that she has been trained in semi-classical music ever since she was in her early teens.
Shraddha Kapoor's rendition of Galliyan Teri Galliyan in Ek Villain did have a dulcet quality to it. However, similar efforts in Haider, ABCD 2, Baaghi and Rock On 2 have not borne fruit. Since her acting career has carromed between hits and flops, the need of the hour is to evolve as an actress rather than double-task as a songstress.
In comparison, actress Alia Bhatt has firmed her image as a singer who can be peppy as well as melancholic. AR Rahman, who has a knack for introducing new, unvarnished voices, gave her the first break with Sooha Saaha in Highway. She went on to sing Samjhawan in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Ik Kudi (the club mix) in Udta Punjab, Ae Zindagi Gale Laga Le and Love You Zindagi in Dear Zindagi and Humsafar in Badrinath Ki Dulhania. Needless to say, her acting chops are way superior than her singing.
Will these actresses actually perform at live concerts? Will they ever playback for stars other than themselves? Like it or not, they are given opportunities to sing simply because of their star value. Once when I asked a playback stalwart about what she thinks of actors-turned-occasional singers, she retorted, "It's scary. Sur aur taal (melody and beats) are no longer considered the bare essentials. But why talk about female artistes only? Even male stars - big or small - fancy themselves as singers and get away with off-key renditions."
In cinema, stars know no boundaries! A-list actors - both male and female - are even known to ghost-direct films and rewrite scripts. That's not exactly a healthy intervention, is it? Similarly, unless an acting whiz can measure up to a professional singer, he or she would do well to stick to his or her core talent. Just a suggestion.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com