Farhan refuses to lend voice to Aamir

Eighty years ago, singer and actor KL Saigal vowed to sing only for himself and no one else. Farhan Akhtar, it seems, is determined to strike a similar chord.

Farhan's company Excel is producing Reema Kagti's thriller with Aamir Khan in the lead role.

Reema, who has been Farhan's protégée for five years, was very keen that Farhan lend his voice to at least one of the songs picturised on Aamir in the film. But Farhan refused.

Says a source, "Reema has a fabulous music sense. The songs in her directorial debut Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd were big chartbusters. She has big musical plans for the Aamir starrer. In fact, the film has a theme song just for Aamir's character."

Last year, Farhan turned down A R Rahman's offer to sing a song for Blue. Farhan also declined Rohan Sippy's offer to play the lead and sing his own songs in Sippy's Dum Maro Dum. And now, the singer-turned-actor has declined Reema's offer as well.

Farhan takes pride in singing only for himself and insists that there has to be an inherent connect between the character and his voice. "I enjoy singing," he says, "It is true, I haven't sung for anyone else on screen apart from myself. But it's not because I am possessive about my voice. I don't know if my voice will work on anyone else. My singing adds to my performances. I don't know if it would do the same for the other actors."

The actor-singer-filmmaker says he did not sing in Karthik Calling Karthik, because it would not have added to his character. "If I feel really kicked about singing for someone else, I will. Singing is not a profession for me. As of now I'll sing only for myself."

Agreed, Farhan is picky but he did agree to sing one song in his sister Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Defends Farhan, "All three of us, Hrithik, Abhay and I have sung for my sister's film. It's a party situation. It seemed interesting to lend our own voices to our characters. That's the only song I've sung in a movie this year. Otherwise I am constantly singing in real life."

Not to Aamir's tunes, we are sure of that!