Always a pleasure to perform in Chennai: Farhan

Director, screenwriter, producer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, choreographer and television host — Farhan Akhtar plays each of his roles to perfection. But if there’s one role he excels at and leaves the audience asking for more every time he takes to the stage, is that of a live performer. Despite owing the stage the way only he does, the award-winning artiste is surprisingly a bundle of nerves before every performance. “My first live performance was with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy when we were promoting Rock On. I was extremely nervous then. Although I have learnt to manage that over the years, there is this anxiety before every performance, which I think is good for a performer. It keeps you active.”  

The actor is no stranger to the Chennai crowd for he has enthralled the audience on earlier occasions, which he says have been very memorable. “The Chennai crowd knows its music and that for us as artistes is very important. The way a concert turns out also largely depends on the way the audience interacts with the musicians. That way, it’s always a pleasure to play here in Chennai. They appreciate different kinds of music and that gives you more room to experiment as well.”