Salman Khan is known for his generosity, like giving away his bicycle to street urchins or his watch to a contestant on a game show. Even in Bollywood, the actor is known to promote talent - old or new - by putting in a word (which goes a long way, clearly). The Dabangg (2010) star's latest sifarish (recommendation) is for actorsinger Vikas Bhalla.
Vikas who? He was a popular actor on TV and has done a few films too. He is also a singer, most famously known for his song, 'Dhuan'. Now, on Salman's recommendation, he was picked to sing the number 'Po po' in Son Of Sardaar. Ask Vikas about this and he says, "The credit goes to Salman. I had gone to meet him with two songs that I had recorded, in the hope that he would take them for his next film. One of the songs was 'Ranjha ranjha'."
He adds, "Salman heard this song twice. The next thing I know, he calls up composers Himesh Reshammiya and Sajid-Wajid and tells them that I would be his voice." About the song, Vikas says he had to practice for two days to get the pitch right. "'Po po' is a superb track and it had to be sung at a very high pitch. I was learning the tune with Himesh for two days and I dubbed the song for three hours. I had a great time singing it, as the tune and lyrics are very catchy."
Vikas has been out of the news lately, so was this song a new chapter in the industry for him? "There's a right time for everything. I'm happy that I've started my playback singing career as the voice of Salman Khan," he says.