Actor Siddarth tests his vocal chords in Striker. Sunday MiD DAY looks at the other stars who have been bitten by the singing bug

IT'S SURE not easy to get behind the microphone, but our multi-talented bunch of stars have risen to the challenge well. For listeners, the novelty of having their favourite actor do the playback has always been a huge thrill.

The best part about an actor emoting for a song is that he brings so much more of himself into the film. Of course, while classic Hindi cinema had giants like Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani who could give the biggest playback singers a run for their game, actors singing in contemporary films don't fare too badly themselves and take themselves less seriously perhaps (as singers that is), adding a whole new edge to film music. Here's a look at how most of the big guns fared.



Aamir Khan
Track: Aati kya Khandala (Ghulam)
Lalitha Suhasini 2.5
Review: The tapori number from the 1998 flick Ghulam held aspirational value, making millions believe if Aamir could sing then anyone else could. Aamir pretty much kicked off the trend for the new wave of actors.

Abhishek Bachchan
Track: Right here right now (Bluffmaster)
Rating: 4
Review: Small B gets down and dirty all right in the Vishal-Shekhar track from Bluff Master that's hypnotic, hedonistic and hotter than the neon green hot pants that Carol Gracias sports in the video. Abhishek bit the rhymes so hard that no one's managed to come close to his 2005 act. We're waiting for the album AB.

Amitabh Bachchan
Track: Rang barse (Silsila)
Rating: 5
Review:u00a0Big B is the indisputable rockstar. He'll do a folk-soaked Rang barse, a burning ballad like Rozana and a fun straight-up Bollywood masala number like Tu maike mat jaiyyo with equal ease. And he'll have the kids squealing in his palm with Mere paas aao and Ir bhir phatte.

Farhan Akhtar
Track: Tum ho toh (Rock On!! )
Rating: 3
Review: The filmmaker turned actor turned singer did almost an entire album and that's no mean feat, especially for a first-time effort. Farhan delivers the psychedelic Tum ho toh exceptionally well daring to bare his frayed high notes, but never awkward in his rendition.u00a0

Juhi Chawla
Track: Chalo jaane do (Bhootnath)
Rating: 5
Review: The actor first lent her vocals for this incredibly gentle ballad along with the Big B. Chalo jaane do is also one of Vishal-Shekhar's underrated gems. OK, so Juhi has the advantage of being classically trained but the actor also pulls off robust folk songs like a pro, with Punjab's powerhouse performer Gurdas Man. Salute!