Indian Actresses Who Sang Their Own Songs

The eternal diva Rekha reinstated the trend of actresses singing for their characters in the 1980 romantic comedy Khubsoorat. With music directed by RD Burman, she sang two songs viz. Qayda Qayda and Sare Niyam Tod Do. Both the songs were blockbuster hits and can still be heard on Indian radio channels.

The next one to follow the trend was the Pakistani actress Salma Agha, who sang the perpetual hit Ghazal Dil Ke Armaan in the highly acclaimed film Nikaah. The music was directed by Ravi. The song became so popular that Salma Agha was given the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, despite being in competition with singing legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle.

The bubbly actress lent her voice to the song O Meri Chandni in the hit film Chandni. The music was directed by Shiv-Hari and became super hit upon its release, just like the movie. 

The dancing diva showed her singing prowess when she crooned a few lines from the song Kaahe Chhed Mohe in the 2002 hit Devdas. The music was directed by Ismail Darbar and Monty Sharma, while the rest of the song had the mesmerising voices of Pandit Birju Maharaj and Kavita Krishnamurthy.

The late actress was known for her bold avatar in this movie in which she was cast opposite megastar Amitabh Bachchan. However, what many people don’t know is that she also sang a song Take Lite, under Vishal Bhardwaj’s music direction. 

The vivacious actress is known for amazing hits in her long span in the film industry. In the 2008 ghost comedy, she sang the song Chalo Jaane Do, which also had the voice of Amitabh Bachchan. The music was directed by Vishal-Shekhar.

The south Indian beauty made her singing debut at the age of six, in her father Kamal Haasan’s 1992 Tamil movie Thevar Magan. In her Hindi debut, she sang a song for the hit comedy Chachi 420, again starring her father. After making her debut as a Hindi film actress with the 2009 movie Luck, she sang the track of the film Aazma–Luck Is The Key, the music of which was directed by Salim-Suleiman. 

The daughter of veteran singer and actress Salma Agha, Sasha has definitely inherited more than just good looks from her mother. The Pakistani British actress made her acting and singing debut in the 2013 movie Aurangzeb. Other than playing the love interest of actor Arjun Kapoor, she lent her voice to the track Barbaadiyaan, which was a hit among the masses. The music of the song was given by Amartya Rahut. 

The Bhatt girl has unquestionably got more than just an impressive surname. Other than proving herself as a decent actress in the 2014 hit Highway, which was directed by ace director Imtiaz Ali, she also sang a part of the song Sooha Saha. The full song was sung by Pakistani singer Zebunnisa Bangash while the music of the film was directed by the Mozart of Madras AR Rahman. Recently, she has also sung the unplugged version of Samjhawan from her upcoming movie Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhnaia, which has garnered positive reviews.

The latest actress to join the bandwagon is Shraddha Kapoor. She sang the unplugged version of Teri Galliyaan, the hit song from the recently released movie Ek Villain. The music was directed by Ankit Tiwari, who also sang the male version of the song.