Delhi girl Akanksha Bhandari rose to instant popularity in Bollywood in 2017 with her chartbuster wedding song Peh Gaya Khalara in Fukrey Returns. She has crooned a duet with Pakistani singer Atif Aslam. The song Tere Liye featuring Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra celebrates the feeling of being madly in love. Composed by Mannan Shaah with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, the song topped the charts within days of its release.
Buoyed by the overwhelming response to the romantic track, Akanksha decided to make a cover version of Tere Liye and release it on her YouTube channel. Talking about her experience on Tere Liye’s female version, she says, “When I heard Tere Liye, I fell in love with the composition and Atif Aslam’s voice. The song has been on loop since then.
The umpteen messages and calls from my fans and friends encouraged me to re-create it. We decided to
give my version a Punjabi folk touch as Namaste England is about a Punjabi couple. Also, being a folk lover myself, it was easy,” she says.
Bhandari moved to Mumbai to pursue higher studies, but lady luck had other plans. “I was always passionate about music. I was happily doing my MBA but wanted to make a career in singing. I used to participate in competitions at school and college levels and started doing stage shows slowly.
Somehow things fell into place, and I got my big break in playback singing, and that too without any filmy connection or Godfather in the industry. I am glad that my singing career started on a high note with Fukrey Returns. It has been so far so good till now,” says the girl, who is currently giving finishing touches to a Himachali folk song for her channel.
The love for music, says Akanksha, comes from her mother who has a mellifluous voice but could not pursue her dream of becoming a singer because of certain family issues. “I used to sing with her but never received formal training, but now I am receiving training for the last two years from different gurus,” she says.Bhandari divides her time between playback singing and working on her YouTube channel, giving due attention to both.
Inspired living
The love for music, says Akanksha, comes from her mother who has a mellifluous voice but could not pursue her dream of becoming a singer because of family issues.