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Director-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar is on a roll. Now touted as Bollywood's first rock star, Akhtar, who made his acting and singing debut with Rock On!!, has struck the right chord.
tabloid! caught up with this actor-singer phenomenon to talk about his new-found success and the distinction of being only the second Indian to grace the cover of Rolling Stone.
Here are the excerpts from a conversation that was constantly interrupted by congratulatory calls.
Now that Rock On!! is released and the verdict is in your favour, how does it feel?
Relieved, thrilled, ecstatic. I think many were pleasantly surprised that I could actually act. And going by the compliments that are coming my way, I feel many had some serious doubts on that front.
Many critics feel that the actors did a great job but the script of Rock On!! was weak. What's your take?
I believed in the script from the start to the finish and there's not one thing that I would like to alter. About the critics being displeased about the script, it's their opinion.
I am not affected by such criticism since it's impossible to please everybody. And the fact is that the majority loved the first of its kind Bollywood movie on rock 'n' roll.
Some say that your performance as the lead singer Aditya rocked and that you stole the thunder away from the rest?
I hope not. Though I am pleased with all the attention and the adulation, I think Rock On!! was a well-made film that saw some great performances from Arjun [Rampal], Luke [Kenny] and Purab [Kohli].
A movie cannot be run on a single person's steam. The product on the whole is a well-packaged one.
How does it feel to be the first Indian band and the second Indian to feature on the September cover of Rolling Stone?
[Indian maestro A.R. Rahman, who has sold millions of records worldwide, was the first one.]
It's another dream come true. To be placed on the same platform as the music legend A.R. Rahman gives me such a kick.
And appearing on the cover made us realise that we were a part of a movie that did justice to rock music. It made us feel that Rock On!! was true to its spirits. It's the ultimate token of acceptance.
After having sung six tracks out of nine songs in the movie, what's next? Your own rock band?
At 14, I harboured this fantasy about forming my own rock band. But right now, I am concentrating on directing and acting and so, forming my own rock band will have to wait.
Have you been flooded with acting offers?
Post Rock On!!, I have received many acting proposals. But, so far I am not particularly inspired by any of it. I have taken a conscious decision to wrap up my current projects before accepting new ones.
In the next 10 days, I will be completing the shooting for Zoya's [Farhan's sister] film Luck By Chance and then I will focus on wrapping up my directorial project A Voice From The Sky.
My character in Luck By Chance is different from my role in Rock On!! and in future I will continue to take on roles that are strong and unconventional.
Akhtar's run of success
2001: Dil Chahta Hai
His directorial venture was nominated in 13 categories in the Filmfare Awards (the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscars) and won seven awards including Critics Award For Best Movie. DCH also won the national award for the Best Hindi film
2004: Lakshya
The war drama featuring Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta in the lead may have got mixed reviews, but was nominated in more than a dozen categories.
2006: Don
With this movie Akhtar proved that he loves a challenge. He took on the formidable task of remaking one of Bollywood's cult classic.
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