Act I,Take II

It was recently reported that singer-composer Shekhar Rajviani (of the Vishal-Shekhar fame) will debut as an actor in 2012. He has been signed to play the lead in Cold Beer Sold Here,being produced by Viacom 18. It is noteworthy to mention here that Shekhar’s partner in music,Vishal,made a cameo in Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan.

Shekhar says the project is still in the works,but nonetheless,after composing for films and advertisements,after singing and taking care of the family business,he is open to acting . “If the opportunity is right,I will surely take it up,” he says,adding,“After all,whether I am behind the camera or in front of it,I am just expressing myself creatively.”

He isn’t the only one. Some months ago,legendary singer Asha Bhosle,78,made headlines when she signed up as lead in Maaee,choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan,46,agreed to play the lead in Bela Sehgal’s directorial debut Shirin Farhad (Sehgal is the sister of Sanjay Leela Bhansali) and Adnan Sami is considering an acting offer.

Adman and lyricist,Prasoon Joshi,says it’s a growing trend,a part of the constant re-invention that Bollywood is looking for. “For the film industry to register its presence among audiences whose attention span has reduced so much due to multiple entertainment platforms,people have to do ‘something new’ all the time,” Joshi explains.

Bhosle,who plays the lead in Maaee,a film revolving around a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease,was reportedly very comfortable in front of the camera. She took the plunge upon the urging of her son,Anand,but held it through commendably. Directed by ad filmmaker Mahesh Kodiyal and produced jointly by Subhash Dawar and Nitin Shankar,the movie is currently in the dubbing stage and is up for release.

This experimentation works both ways. While for filmmakers,it becomes a USP for their film to have Shekhar’s or Asha Bhosle’s debut film as an actor,for the artists too,it adds a fresh new twist to their profile and establishes them as multi-talented and multi-dimensional.

With Shirin Farhad going on the floors next month,Farah is said to be brushing up her Parsi accent and spending more time with her Parsi relatives to prepare for her role.

Traditional barriers seem to have blurred in Bollywood with people becoming multi-faceted. Farhan Akhtar took to acting and singing; Himesh Reshammiya acted in,composed and produced his own film. “I wanted to take the Kishore Kumar legacy forward. If in the past,actors could sing,composed music and direct films,why not now?” reasons Reshammiya.

“This would not have happened several years ago when the Hindi film industry was churning out formula films. In the past couple of years,we have given out more experimental films than formula films,so people get a chance to experiment with themselves as well,” says Shekhar.

But isn’t it too much risk for a celebrity,who has had a successful career behind the camera,to come in front of it,test himself or herself,that too,at a mature age? “It is all about the right aptitude,” says Reshammiya.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels the reputation of an established artiste can go for a toss but not his career. “Everyone wants to act,and the kind of scripts that are being churned out today make an acting debut at 40 or 80 easier. You can play yourself,your age,” he says.

Shekhar endorses the “new Bollywood” viewpoint. “Bollywood is having a lot of fun these days. There are a lot of cool people working here,” he says.

With inputs from Priyanka Pereira