In over two decades of being part of the entertainment industry, Farhan Akhtar has donned many hats, from filmmaking and writing to making music. After his debut as a director with the film Dil Chahta Hai (2001), he kicked off his career as an actor as well as a singer with Rock On!! (2008), and Akhtar hasn’t looked back since then. 

The actor-singer performed English songs from his album Echoes for the first time in Mumbai on December 2.

His unique, husky voice has often received mixed opinions from listeners, to which the 48-year-old responds: “There are some who like it and some who don’t. And I can’t expect everyone to love everything I do. I really don’t know how to comment on how people feel about it, this is the voice I have been given (born with). Also, people mimic my voice, they can’t mimic my style.” 

He adds, “What’s important to me is that those who come to my concerts have a good time. My focus has always been on good performances and singing. I am constantly improving, and I want to keep pushing [myself].”

The live show was originally scheduled for 2020. But the gig was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic: “The world came to a standstill, all plans were cancelled. This year, the live music scene is coming back into its own. Event organizers lost a lot of money in the last two years, and I think it was not easy for them to say okay to a live gig with English songs.”