Actress Beena Kak’s daughter Amrita, who is riding high on success with chartbusters like “Character Dheela” from “Ready”, gives credit to Salman Khan for making her a saleable name in Bollywood. “Salman is an elder brother figure to me. He has been my driving force. He has got me on track, guided me from time to time, encouraged me to come out of my shell and whatever I am today – the credit goes to him completely for making me a saleable name,” Amrita told IANS on the phone from Mumbai.

The 28-year-old made her singing debut in 2005 with “Just Chill” in “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya” and then sang numbers like “Tujhe Aksa Beach ghuma doon” (“God Tusi Great Ho”), “Ankh vich chehra pyar da” (“Apne”), “Rafa dafa” (“Superstar”) and “Love me, love me” (“Wanted”). Amrita says she never thought about becoming a professional singer. “I used to learn music in school like everybody does. I was studying at St Xaviers in Mumbai. I was not very serious, but Salman helped me in finding my direction,” she said.

“When he noticed that I like to sing and have a voice which could be moulded, he introduced me to Sajid-Wajid so that I could polish my skills. I started doing regular riyaz ever since there was no looking back for me,” she added. She is now happy to be a part of the music industry. “I am glad people are liking my songs so much. Wherever I go, I find people tapping on ‘Character Dheela’. It really gives me a kick. I feel the acceptance, I am happy that I joined this industry,” she said. “The music industry has experienced similar kind of changes like any other sector. With the advancement of technology and ideology, a lot of new avenues have opened up. People have become more open to accept newcomers. “And one very important change that I have felt is that the industry is now respecting the different voice textures that people have. As my voice had a bit of a husky texture and I didn’t know whether it would work in Bollywood or not. But the encouraging part is that they are accepting people for their individuality and appreciating the uniqueness that they bring along. It is a good time for very newcomers,” she said. What about the crazy lyrics? “The latest change of crazy, spicy lyrics might be facing conflict but that is what people want now. They are for the masses and people connect with them easily. The lyrics are also very easy to hum,” she said.