FilmiKhabar

FARHAN Akhtar switches hats and talents with surprising ease. When we meet, he’s preparing for the release of the Abhishek Kapoor-directed Rock On, in which he plays Aditya, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the band Magik. His band members in the movies are Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny and Purab Kohli. Farhan, 34, is also working on the script for Voice from the Sky, in which he directs Akshaye Khanna.

And, he has recently wrapped his other production, Luck By Chance, directed by sister Zoya, in which he acts and, yes, sings.

Before we begin this interview, he plays me a clip of his singing audition for Abhishek, and his rendition of U2’s One, coupled with his self-taught yet slick guitar playing, are so impressive, it is no surprise Abhishek cast him in Rock On. In deference to authenticity, Farhan sings six out of the nine tracks on the soundtrack of the film. Over to the rockstar, Farhan Akhtar.

What made you decide to play Aditya, was it a desire to act or to play a rock star?

It was a combination of both. Having done Fakir, I knew I enjoyed the process of acting and this was a great script. I loved the idea of being this character, even if I could not sing or play an instrument. I had fantasised about being in a band and with Rock On, I am living out that fantasy, especially with the concerts we are doing with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Besides this, the script just blew me away and whether I was in it or not, I knew we had to make it. Abhishek approached me for the part of Aditya, and for some reason he thought I could sing. He said he liked the quality of my voice. I completely shocked him with my audition since he had no idea I could play guitar and sing.

You have spoken about diverse musical influences…

As a child, I grew up on The Beatles, Beethoven, ABBA, Simon and Garfunkel and Elvis Presley. My father got me a singing teacher and a harmonium when I was around six, but the sound of that instrument sent me running. Years later, when I was 15, I got my first guitar and taught myself how to play. Later, I got into pop music with bands like Wham, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran etc. It was only when we started travelling abroad and once CDs were more easily available that our musical knowledge expanded, and that’s when I progressed to listening to entire rock albums by bands and artists like Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Led Zeppelin, Don McLean, Crosby, Stills and Nash and CCR. Pop lyrics have no great meaning, unlike rock where the earlier bands were serious lyric writers. I now play a Yamaha guitar.

What does your family think of the soundtrack?

My daughters are my biggest fans. Akira (17 months) points to the CD player and says ‘ott on’ (she can’t say rock) and head-bangs to the music. Shakya (8) loves the live version of Pichhle saat dinon mein. My wife Adhuna likes them all, except for Zehreelay. From the ones I have sung, my favourite is Tum ho toh because it was the most difficult. But from the entire album I like Phir dekhiye because it’s optimistic, feel-good and captures the essence of the film, which is ‘Live your dream’.

Replacing the actor’s hat with that of producer-director, what’s next for you and your company Excel Entertainment?

We start shooting Voice from the Sky with Akshaye Khanna in November. It is set in 1905, around the time the telephone came to India. It is partly located in Calcutta and partly in a village. The rest of the cast will be announced soon. Scripting on Don 2 is proceeding simultaneously and I hope to shoot the sequel next summer. When I direct, production becomes entirely my partner Ritesh Sidhwani’s responsibility. Our other productions will be Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd director Reema Kagti’s next; Zoya’s Luck By Chance; Abhishek Kapoor’s next after Rock On; and a film with (ad filmmaker) Abhinay Deo is currently being cast.

Rock music has a loyal following in pockets of the country. Do you think Rock On will cut across mainstream audiences and those that scoff at film music?

The most popular musical genre in this country is film music and rock music only fits into our films if the film is about a rock band. Metro – Life in a City also had a rock sound. Otherwise, you only hear strains of rock in some songs. Rock is a very powerful genre but has not got its due in India. It is hugely popular in the North East and South India and in college towns, and the audience for rock is not lazy about supporting it. The feedback on the music has been very good and we are hopeful that the film will bridge some divides.

Speaking of Don 2, why a sequel and is Shah Rukh Khan returning to the role?

Yes, in spite of reports to the contrary, as far as Ritesh, Shah Rukh and I are concerned, he is Don. I have an attachment for certain actors working for certain characters — like Hrithik Roshan had to be Karan Shergill (Lakshya) and I had to have Saif Ali Khan as Sameer in Dil Chahta Hai. Anything else would be a compromise. So it has to be Shah Rukh Khan as Don; his personality suits the character. I have an absolute love for the character of Don which is difficult to describe. I love that here is a bad guy, a killer, who gets away with it and also gets the audience’s love. That character has to grow now and the story has to progress in the sequel.

You have directed three films so far – Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya and Don. Yet your first is still considered iconic and your best work. How do you rank your work?

That’s like my mother saying she always came second in class, but there were only five children in her class! So how do I rank three films? I guess the first good film you make defines you. Like Ashutosh Gowariker is defined by Lagaan even though it was not his first film, similarly, Dil Chahta Hai was appreciated and people remember me for it. I worked hard on all my films and according to me all three are amazing. But as my first film, the joy, satisfaction and sense of accomplishment from Dil Chahta Hai was the greatest.

Rock On releases in theatres across the country on August 29, 2008.

Related posts:

1. “Music was a passion I put aside to make movies”: Farhan Akhtar
2. Farhan Akhtar’s debut film, Rock On, to release in Aug 2008
3. ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ sequel?
4. Farhan Akhtar to play the lead role in his own production
5. Saif’s ‘Rock Star’ dreams coming true

Categories: Interviews
Tags: DON 2, FARHAN AKHTAR, ROCK ON, SHAHRUKH KHAN, SRK