The pop singer who’s turned actor
Dharam Pal

HAVE you heard the song Dil luteya gaya... (from Champion), which has been composed by Anand Raj Anand. This number has been sung by Shankar Sahney, a Punjabi pop singer who has now changed track from singing to acting. And he puts the same amount of passion into acting that he puts into singing. Those who have heard his two albums Yaari Yaari and Kudiyaan, released by Tips music company, swear by his involvement.

Shankar has recently signed a Punjabi film Ishq and will play the lead role opposite Ayesha Julka. The movie is being produced by P. Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, and is written and directed by Indrajit. Shankar has penned the lyrics with Sham Balkar. He will also record the songs for this film.

About his acting and singing potential, Shankar says: "For me, it has been a constant evolution. I feel that my attempts at doing various things have made me realise my potential. On stage, we sing, dance and act all at the same time. When I got an opportunity to act in a film, I knew I had always wanted to do that. And if God has given you the talent then why shouldn’t you go ahead and grab the opportunity? But I do not intend giving up singing, as that is my life-giving force. I am only expanding my horizons."

Ishq, which will serve as a launching pad for Shankar Sahney, also stars Sunil Puri, Gurkirtan, Mohammad Sadiq, Usha Raj, Malkit and Jagtar Jaggi.

Shankar is also coming up with two more albums, one in Punjabi and the other in Hindi, to be released by T-series soon.

Born in a family of musicians, his father Prof T.B. Sahney is a retired music teacher and proponent of the Kirana Gharana. Shankar was initiated into the world of swar and taal at the tender age of three when his training began under the watchful eye of his father. Since the age of five, he has been performing on Jalandhar Doordarshan and AIR. He has also done recordings for albums as a child artiste. In the years that followed, his talent was honed by countless hours of riyaaz. Armed with an engineering degree, Shankar has already come out with two albums and is ready with two more.

Now Shankar is confident that his new assignment will definitely give a boost to his career.