Bollywood heroines are redefining acting roles with melodious music and singing talent

Madhuri Dixit Nene who turned 52 yesterday is a great survivor. At this age when most women actors give up on their careers in Bollywood arguably one of the most beautiful heroines on the Indian screen keeps adding something new to her inventory to keep herself in demand.

Some of these hit the mark some miss it which is only normal.Her last release' Kalank' the latest product from the Dharma Productions of Karan Johar stable even though a multi starrer plonked at the box office but the charming and ever smiling Diva of Bollywood need not worry.

She is all set to launch an English pop album by the end of the year. Confirming the news, the Madhuri herself told journalists, "This is the first time I am exploring singing on a professional level. It has been a while since we were ready with the album. However, due to other commitments, we did not get the time to shoot for the videos. It is important to have a video to go with the song. We will release the first single this year."

The Dhak Dhak heroine who had taken a break after breaking many hearts in India with her marriage to Dr. Nene is now on a come-back trail since returning to India and is reinventing her multifaceted personality to make an impact.

Of course this is not a desperate move for her because she is also running a dancing school where she has hardly much completion. But her talent for crooning was evident much earlier when she had lent her voice to the Gulaab Gang song, Rangi Saari Gulaabi, along with her mother Snehlata Dixit way back in 2014. On record however she had started her singing career much earlier from the movie Devdas by joining Pt. Birju Maharaj and Kavita Krishnamurthy for the song Kaahe Chhed Mohe.

However Madhuri is not alone to venture in this new role and has competition. It is common knowledge that Madhuri Dixit got this role in Kalank due to the unfortunate demise of late Sridevi. But what is not much known is that like Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi was also blessed with a melodious voice who had shown her promise by her singing in Chandni starring her, Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor by that haunting song ‘O Meri Chandni’.

Sridevi is no more. But will the latest move of Madhuri give jitters to the other younger heroines of Bollywood who have in the last couple of years started proving that they can not only look beautiful but also sound as beautiful?

If we ignore the heroine singers of the era of Suraiya, Noorjehan as heroines who set the trend of singing heroines, the heartthrobs of the current generation like Alia Bhatt, Shradha Kapur, Parineeti Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and the international icon Priyanka Chopra cannot be ignored.

These gutsy girls are proving a sensation by revealing yet another facet of their talent for which recording studios must be desperately chasing them.

Topping the blockbuster list is the young power house of talent Alia Bhatt who has won accolades for her roles much beyond her age but when she sung Sooha Saaha in 'Highway' she showed another side of her personality. The 24-year-old has also won over audiences with her songs Samjhawan Unplugged in 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania', Ikk Kudi in' Udta Punjab' and Humsafar in ' Badrinath Ki Dulhania'.

Next in the popularity chart should be Shraddha Kapoor who is so talented that her father Shakti Kapoor cannot thank God enough.

At a reality show the 'Ow' villain told viewers that he was shocked when he got a call from from Shraddha Kapoor that she was singing for a film." I could not believe this because she had never practiced singing in her life.It has to be a special gift to a special child and I am so blessed," said an emotional hard core villain turned comedian of Bollywood.

The exceptionally talented Shraddha Kapoor debuted as singer with the romantic thriller ' Ek Villain' where she sung ‘Galliyan – Unplugged’. She has also lent her voice in the song Do Jahaan in 'Haider' and Bezubaan Fir Se Unplugged in 'ABCD 2'.

But if Shraddha Kapoor surprised her father by her singing debut, Parineeti Chopra who has proved her will power by losing weight in a very short period is a classical singer by training. Making her singing debut with the song “Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahi” in her movie' Meri Pyaari Bindu' proved she could spring some more surprises.

Her better-known sister Priyanka Chopra is one of those actresses who does everything on a big scale and leaves a mark, be it Bollywood, Hollywood, marriage or as a singer. She is a thorough pro and as of now she has come out with not just one but her three super-hit singles- In my city, Exotic, can’t make you Love me.

As far as her Bollywood song is concerned, she sang for her biopic' Mary Kom' and the title song in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do' and knowing her this could just be the beginning of another zooming career.

Yet another co-star of' Kalank' Sonakshi Sinha is also ready to pick up a challenge when needed.The darling daughter of Shatrughan and Poonam Sinha also took up the challenge of singing on the stage with none other that Mika during an award show. Later she debuted as a pro when she debuted with her movie' Tevar' where she gave her voice with Imran Khan for the song Let’s Celebrate.

The initiative of Madhuri could also give ideas to her contemporary with a super chirpy voice Juhi Chawla, known for her infectious smile, who had the guts to belch out a number with none other than the legendary Amitabh Bachchan in the movie' Bhoothnath' with her soulful rendering of the song ‘Chalo jane do ab chhodo bhi’.

Down South a certain Shruti Haasan, daughter of super-star Kamal Hassan (who is now dabbing in politics) also happens to be a trained and professional singer but not much is known about her talent this side because she has mostly been singing for movies in the South.

But she has also debuted in Bollywood as a singer in the movie D Day and given the propensity for taking risks like her father, no one will be surprised if Shruti becomes a challenger to her contemporaries from Bollywood in this new competition.

As for the audiences they should rightly be thrilled- the more the merrier. And this set of singers need not be anonymous playback singers. They are as soothing to the eyes as to the ears and would make a tremendous stage presence.