Actors tap their rap talent

From crooning romantic lyrics to hip-swaying numbers, Bollywood celebrities lending their voice for films and even singles has become common. But now Hindi film stars are taking a step further by keeping up with times and rapping verses for movies and advertisements too.

Rapping, which was once rebel music, is said to have been brought into the Indian music market in the early 1990s by "desi" rapper Baba Sehgal. The country soon saw a growth in the genre through rappers such as British-Indian Hard Kaur, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Bohemia, Raftaar and Badshah.

IANS takes a look at the celebrities who have experimented quite successfully with the genre:

* Ranveer Singh: Bollywood's livewire actor Ranveer Singh is not only popular for his eccentric style statements and strong performances, but has also created a buzz with his rapping talent. Ranveer first rapped a number for the 2011 film "Ladies vs Ricky Bahl" and then rapped a number "Don't hold back" for a clothing brand he endorses. Now Ranveer has been roped in for filmmaker Zoya Akhtar's upcoming movie "Gully Boy", where he will playing a rapper. Naturally then, one will see him rap away.

* Amitabh Bachchan: He has lent his baritone for songs like "Rang barse", "Main yahan tu wahan" and "Atrangi yaari" among many others. And just like he's always excited about trying new things, Big B has also given rap a shot. He turned 'rapper Thakur' for a network brand, and rapped "Yo se, yo se" about people's TV viewing habits.

* Aamir Khan: Known for his perfection and for acting in films that routinely cross the Rs 100 crore benchmark at the box office, superstar Aamir Khan surprised many fans and well-wishers with a rap verse in the song "Dhaakad" for "Dangal". "Dhaakad" comes after 18 years of the actor singing "Aati kya Khandala" in the 1998 film "Ghulam". For "Dhaakad", the 51-year-old star also shot a special video in which he's seen dressed like a rapper.

* Varun Dhawan: Actor Varun Dhawan, who is currently busy promoting "Badrinath Ki Dulhania", first rapped in a song titled "Lucky tu lucky me" from the 2014 film "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", directed by Shahshank Khaitan. He later rapped a number "Happy B'day" for the dance-based film "ABCD 2".

* Sonakshi Sinha:The actress' debut single "Aaj mood ishqholic hai" had rap. Sonakshi donned a boho-chic look with beads and tassels to perform the dance moves in the video of the song composed by Meet Bros and written by Kumaar.

* Abhishek Bachchan: Actor Abhishek Bachchan's first tryst with rapping came in the 2005 film "Bluffmaster". He was also seen performing the "Ma Bhen rap" in "Housefull 3".

* Shruti Haasan: The actress-singer joined in the fun of creating a rap with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for a chocolate brand. She also went "Crunch Machaa, Munch Machaa".

(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)

--IANS

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