Farhan Akhtar: Didn’t attend award shows for Dil Chahta Hai, was scared people would ask me to speak on stage

Farhan Akhtar’s a natural on stage, and that’s something pretty much everyone agrees with

Farhan Akhtar’s a natural on stage, and that’s something pretty much everyone agrees with. And a testament to this is his live shows- his band Farhan Live recently completed 10 years since it’s inception. Even in the award shows he has hosted, he never fails to make people laugh.

Actor-singer Farhan Akhtar’s band Farhan Live recently completed 10 years since it’s inception.

Which is why it’s surprising when he reveals that he has come a long way when it comes to speaking on stage. “I was not comfortable speaking on stage. If I am going down and doing music, I know what I am supposed to do so it’s easy for me. If I have a conversation with you, it’s still easy because we are engaged in that. But if somebody says ‘go on stage and speak to the crowd for 25 minutes’, there’s a part of me that always wonders ‘why are they interested in what I have to say? What am I going to do, give a PPT presentation?’ That stuff unnerves me,” laughs the 49-year-old.

But he is in a profession ironically which requires him to speak to people all the time. Akhtar continues, “I come prepared for that. When you play a character, you lose inhibitions because the character allows you that. It’s a strange psychological thing which happens. It’s easier when I am a character. If something makes you nervous, you should do it more so you can ease it out.”