Director on a singing mission

There are few things Bollywood's Farhan Akhtar cannot do.

He can direct, produce, write, sing, dance and, of course, act. With his indie spirit and willingness to take on edgy subject matters, Akhtar, 40, has been adding colour to the multi-layered narrative of Indian cinema since his directorial debut in 2001.

But it is the singer and performer that audiences in Singapore will see when he performs at the Esplanade on April 13. He is one of five high-profile South Asian music acts coming to town over the next month (see other story).

When he speaks to Life! on the telephone on a Sunday afternoon, it is just hours after a sell-out rock concert he has done in Kozhikode or Calicut in south India.

If there are any signs of fatigue, given his gruelling schedule, his voice gives no indication throughout the 30-minute interview. He sounds lively, energetic and funny.

When asked how he finds the time to do so many things, including concerts, he thanks his business partner and his team for freeing him from administrative work.

He enthuses: "I love performing in front of a live audience. It is a different feeling. The energy is refreshing. I find I am completely free in that moment when I am in front of an audience. I very much enjoy that connection."

While the songs he and his band perform are often decided ahead of the concert, he says he watches out for what the audience wants.

"If they keep shouting out for a particular song or number, we will do it for them."

Often, the song requests are from the popular rock musical film Rock On!! (2008), in which he made his acting debut. He also sang some of the songs and co-produced as well as penned the dialogue for the film.

His classic touches there, from the snappy repartee to the setting of some scenes, brought back memories of his directorial debut, Dil

Chahta Hai (The Heart Desires, 2001). That film told the story of three friends. Rock On!! was about four friends who go their separate ways before coming back together again.

Akhtar's soaring vocals made this a film to watch and he went on to do more live shows after that.

None of this was planned. When he was first asked to act, he says his first impulse was "no".

"I was petrified of facing the camera."

But you get no hint of it when you watch the charismatic actor on the big screen. His oeuvre also includes acting in two of his sister Zoya Akhtar's films.

In Luck By Chance (2009), written and directed by Zoya, he plays an aspiring movie actor who falls in love with an actress. His performance was by turns funny, thoughtful and provocative. It helped the movie capture the behind- the-scenes drama and manoeuvring that occurs in India's film industry.

In 2011, he was one of the leads in his sister's film Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara (You Don't Live Twice, 2011).

The multi-hyphenate comes from a famous artistic family. His father, Javed Akhtar, is a lyricist and poet, his mother Honey Irani, a screenwriter, and his stepmother Shabana Azmi, an actress. He has collaborated with his family members on many film projects.

He says that "working with the family has its pros and cons. What people do not realise is that they are more critical". He credits his sister with "a certain sensibility. She is able to extract exactly what she wants from her actors, including me".

Akhtar is married to Adhuna, 44, one of India's leading hairstylists and they have two daughters, Shakya and Akira.

Interestingly, while most actors go from acting to directing and producing, he made the reverse journey.

At 27, he made his directorial debut with Dil Chahta Hai, with superstar Aamir Khan in the lead. The smash hit won India's National Award for best Hindi film.

Five years later, he remade the 1978 classic action thriller Don, casting Shah Rukh Khan in Amitabh Bachchan's iconic role. It was a risk he just had to take because "Don is the one Amitabh Bachchan film that has stayed with me since my childhood".

Akhtar emerged from behind the camera to sing and act only in director Abhishek Kapoor's film, Rock On!!, in which he played a rock star. He says this unconventional detour into acting "definitely helps".

"I know where a director is coming from, why he wants an actor to do something his or her way. I do think spending time behind the camera has made me possibly a better actor."

Indeed, he has worked hard to look the part for some of his recent roles.

Over 11/2 years, he pumped up to play Indian sprinter and Olympian Milkha Singh in the film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (The Flying Sikh, 2013), winning Best Actor accolades, including at the Zee Cine Awards this year.

The movie follows the story of Singh's life as a Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medal-winning sprinter who triumphed over adversity. "I felt so amazingly fit," says Akhtar. "Almost invincible, like I could do anything."

Beyond getting into shape and growing out his hair to look like the Sikh athlete, Akhtar says the big lesson he learnt was that "to shave off even a point of a second in any race can take a lifetime".

He has not stopped taking risks.

As a producer, he put his money on last year's sleeper hit Fukrey (Slacker). He was drawn to it because it had "a certain spark" and the "characters were completely fresh".

"The movie was set in Delhi. It was a very sweet, hilarious story. Fukrey's director had worked with me on my film Lakshya (Aim), so he was not coming in cold. When he narrated the story, I was laughing out loud. I knew instinctively it would work."

Also, he knows the life of a slacker pretty well himself. Akhtar calls himself a "drifter". He was studying for a degree in law when he was thrown out of a Mumbai college for not attending enough classes. After which, he spent a lot of his "free time" watching films.

When asked when he became serious about his life, he laughs before responding: "The day my mum told me she was throwing me out of the house. I knew it was time to do something, finally."

Life, he feels, has turned out quite all right. Since 2001, he has won several awards for his contributions to all areas of the Indian film industry.

The only thing he regrets about work is the time it takes him away from his wife and daughters, who are not coming to Singapore. "I do not get as much free time as I would like, which is why I love spending time with my family. Travelling with them, going on holidays. That's when I completely de-stress."

But despite Singapore's reputation as a retail hub, he is not about to hit the malls. "I am arriving with a certain mission," he says with a tone of finality, before laughing. "It is not shopping, it is not eating. It is making sure the crowd has a great time."

Upcoming musical acts

Dhoom Again With Sunidhi Chauhan

Indian singing sensation Sunidhi Chauhan has recorded more than 2,000 songs, many of which have become hits. She last performed in Singapore in November 2010 and is known for getting the audience to jive to the beat of many of her catchy numbers.

Expect to hear several of her new numbers such as Dilliwali Girlfriend and Punjabi Wedding Song, as well as earlier chart-busting numbers such as Dance Pe Chance Mar Le (Take A Chance On Dance) from the 2009 Bollywood blockbuster Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (God Made A Couple).

Where: Esplanade Theatre

When: March 21, 8pm

Admission: $78 to $168 from Sistic (call 6348-5555 or go to www.sistic.com.sg)

Soul Of The Sufis

The Singapore Pakistani Association presents the Fareed Ayaz Qawwal Ensemble. This troupe has been winning the hearts of audiences from New York to Sydney to Los Angeles, through its devotional Sufi music and songs.

Expect to hear classics penned by Indian mystics such as Khwaja Nizaumddin and Baba Bulleh Shah.

Where: Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel

When: Saturday, 8pm

Admission: $75 to $135 from www.eventjini.com/Qawwali or singaporepakistaniassociation.com, or call 9637-0755

Titans Of Bollywood Music - Vishal & Shekhar Live

Known for their catchy film soundtracks as well as songs, Bollywood duo Vishal & Shekhar's debut concert here will see them performing their chart-topping numbers Tuney Maari Etriyaan from the recent film Gunday, starring Priyanka Chopra, and Balam Pichkari from last year's blockbuster Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (This Youth Is Crazy, 2013). Where: Esplanade Theatre

When: March 30, 8pm

Admission: $68 to $288 from SisticInfo: For inquiries, call 6221-0789

A.R. Rahman: Infinite Love

Acclaimed composer, singer and songwriter A.R. Rahman has performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2005 and at Marina Bay Sands in 2011.

In his first outdoor concert in Singapore, he promises the usual Rahman touches including an elaborate stage set, dancers, acrobats, high-tech lighting and stunning visual effects.

Expect to hear hits such as Jai Ho, his Oscar-winning song from the movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and Patakha Guddi (Wild Child), from the Bollywood film Highway, which is showing in cinemas.

Where: The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay

When: April 30, 7.30pm

Admission: $98 to $598 from www.dmllive.com/

Book it

FARHAN LIVE

Where: Esplanade Theatre

When: April 13, 7.30pm

Admission: $88 to $268 from Sistic (call 6348-5555 or go to www.sistic.com.sg)

Info: For details, call 8118-9144

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