One of the most gratifying thumps on the back that Farhan Akhtar cherished was step-mom Shabana Azmi’s full-on praise after she saw Rock On!! As everybody accepts, Shabana knows a thing or two about acting and when she compliments someone for a performance, you may be more or less sure that she’s bang-on right with her verdict. Farhan was happy because, “I respect Shabana Azmi tremendously as an actress.” So, even if you were to leave a little room for bias (after all, Farhan is like a son to her), Shabana is not the sort to flatter where no talent exists.

Moreover, Shabana, a non-singer, has herself been through the rigours of riyaaz (Carnatic classical, no less) for a film. She knows just what a task it is for an actor to actually sing his own songs to give authenticity to a performance. A couple of years ago, theatre person and film-maker Mahesh Dattani’s mother had been aghast when he had cast Shabana Azmi in the main role in Morning Raga and got her to learn vocal Carnatic music before the film rolled.

To everybody’s amazement, Shabana soon presented her credentials as a complete performer with Morning Raga where she transformed herself into a typical South Indian maami (aunty), nose stud in place, hit the perfect taal on the thigh and not a note spelt amateur. So, when Shabana patted beta Farhan for singing and acting in Rock On!! it was high praise from someone who knew the territory well.

For producer-director Farhan Akhtar to acquit himself so impeccably as lead singer-lead actor was tough. Okay, there have been a few actor-directors like Raj Kapoor, V. Shantaram, Manoj Kumar, Dev Anand and so on. But this one was rare because, unlike the others who were first actors and then dabbled in film-making, Farhan Akhtar had so far only been behind the camera. True, someone like Sohail Khan did attempt it in the past when he first made films and then decided to turn actor. But Sohail did not succeed in his first film as hero in Maine Dil Tujhko Diya and has subsequently gained acceptance only for short, supporting roles, mostly propped up by his famous brother, Salman Khan.

Farhan Akhtar’s was a far tougher and courageous debut. He had neither the conventional good looks of a Hindi film hero nor the voice to go with it. On the contrary, with that voice — crudely termed ‘funny’ by most and ‘unconventional’ if you wanted to be more subtle — and that face, to insist on singing all your own songs and act as the main lead, was a challenge.

Besides, Farhan was no newcomer who could afford to take the risk. He had his bigtime film-maker reputation on line. That he succeeded on all three fronts — as actor (immensely slick), as singer (raw, unusual, very identifiable) and as producer (he backed the film and director Abhishek Kapoor) — is a triple triumph for Farhan Akhtar. By the way, did you see his wife, Adhuna, in the crowd during the climax song, waving and dancing like a fan?

Where Rock On!! has succeeded is in breaking stereotypes and making us accept the untried.

For years, we’ve envied the West for the sheer variety on offer — from a handsome Brad Pitt and a rakish charmer like George Clooney to a down-sized but nevertheless reliable actor like Danny DeVito. But when it came to our own movies, we asked for traditional good looks, right down to a conventionally acceptable voice. The heroine had to be saccharine sweet until Rani Mukherji broke that myth with her hoarse voice. Through some lucky breaks (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) accompanied by powerful performances (Black) and graceful dancing (she could match Govinda, step for step), Rani began to be counted amongst the top five heroines of the Hindi film industry. To such an extent that her voice got accepted as well. In fact, you couldn’t possibly watch Rani on screen and have a honey-sweet voice dub for her. It would’ve been incongruous and her success mantra was, love me, love my voice.

It is the same with Farhan today. Love his films, love the whole package.

Hey, psst!

It has been a busy week for Anupam Kher. He was in Delhi showing A Wednesday! to Sheila Dikshit, L.K. Advani and others and also to stay on for a special screening of Tahaan. The actor had two different, off-beat releases on the same day. Anupam Kher in A Wednesday! as police commissioner Prakash Rathod is back to performing with his heart, like Professor Pradhan of Saaransh. Welcome back, Anupam. That was a pretty long hiatus.