Actors spend years lip-synching to voices of different singers. But there are some who try a hand at acting and singing simultaneously.
Priyanka Chopra is doing the same in Bollywood, while at home, we have seen the likes of Ayesha Omar and Mahwish Hayat trying their hand at singing. While people thought Mahwish can sing beautifully and in-tune, they fumed when Ayesha was given the Best Album of the Year at the Lux Style Awards 2013.
The newest addition to the list of actors-turned-singers is Ahsan Khan. Once caught humming on the set of his latest drama serial Khoya Khoya Chand, his director Fahim Burney gave him an opportunity to sing the title song for the TV series. The song sung by the actor is a nicely composed love duet which he sang alongside Dua Malik.
The actor, who recently appeared in the Punjabi film Ishq Khuda, has surprised everyone with his playback skills. “As an artist, music and all art-related genres play an integral part in forming an actor’s persona and grooming their career. So my inclination for slipping into other genres was quite natural,” says Khan.
Although the drama’s soundtrack is doing well and is being appreciated, Khan remains humble. “I had never thought that singing was my forte, but I love music. When I was given this opportunity by my director, I thought to myself, why not give it a shot? And thankfully, it turned out pretty well,” says Khan. The actor also plans to get formal training in singing for more serious projects.
With time, Ahsan has progressed in the field of acting and has proven himself as a versatile actor, who can perform varied roles.
The song’s composer Sohail Haider feels the trend of actors turning into singers has increased with the growth of the drama industry. Haider, who has worked multi-talented actors such as Fawad Khan, says that Khan’s singing aptitude and the ease with which he sung the OST surprised him. Haider plans to record more singles with him.
“I feel that there is singing talent in everyone and it is good that drama and film producers in Pakistan encourage such talent in actors, because places such as India don’t encourage multi-tasking,” says Haider.
Khan does not consider singing as something that would divert him from acting, as he sees it as an extension of his acting career. “The link between acting and singing brings me the closer to the idea of ‘entertainment’ — which is music and action on stage to communicate stories to the audience,” says Khan. “It is commendable that more multi-talented artists are coming to the forefront in Pakistan, daring to straddle the boundaries between acting and singing.”
Acting has always been his strength — he started his career with PTV films. The big screen fascinates him, but back-to-back television projects keep him busy. He also took a four-year break from the silver screen so he could concentrate on his television work. “I have always been open to cinema in general, whether the projects offered are in Urdu or any other language, provided they measure up to what I am looking for as an actor.”
Khan discloses that he might also try his hand at production next year, but as for now, he is busy with TV projects which include Kabhi Kabhi by Anjum Shehzad and Meri Zindagi Hai Tu by Ameen Iqbal.
We wish Khan the best of luck for all the projects he opts for!
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