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Watch: When teenager Aadar Jain drummed his way into Farhan Akhtar's TV show


While Raj Kapoor's grandson is facing a tough debut in Qaidi Band, he already made his first public appearance playing the drums on Farhan Akhtar's Oye! It's Friday television stint.

Shriram Iyengar

While Farhan Akhtar-starrer Lucknow Central and Aadar Jain's debut vehicle, Qaidi Band, have received quite some attention for the common theme of their film, few people remember that the two actors actually shared a common stage before as well.

Jain's debut, Qaidi Band, tells the story of seven undertrials who come together in jail to form a musical rock band, in the hope that their band will help them get out of prison. The film is directed by Habib Faisal, and also stars Anya Singh among others. Qaidi Band is set to be released on 25 August.

At the same time, Akhtar has his own prison story set to release in the form of Lucknow Central. In the film, directed by Ranjit Tiwari, Akhtar plays one of five prisoners who form a prison band in order to furnish an escape. The film is set for a 15 September release.

The similarity of the plots is not the only coincidence that these films share. Their lead actors, Akhtar and Jain, have themselves shared a stage before.

During 2008-2009, Akhtar hosted a variety talk show on the NDTV Imagine channel, titled Oye! It's Friday. The show often featured Akhtar interviewing actors and celebrities, with special performances to close the show.

One such show had Priyanka Chopra as the guest, while a very young Jain was the special performance. The surprise opens at the 31.15 minutes of the show, when Akhtar introduces Jain as the grandson of Raj Kapoor, an actor who said, 'Everyone should learn one musical instrument.'

Jain, who is a drummer himself, delivers a five minute performance filled with energy, and enthusiasm. The actor looks every bit a teenager, shy and a bit awkward in his interaction in front of Chopra and Akhtar. What's more, is that he gets to teach Chopra a few moves on the drum kit.

While Qaidi Band will not feature the actor showing off his drumming skills, it has helped his musical ability. In an interview to DNA newspaper, Jain had said, "I am a drummer, so had to learn the guitar, the nuances, etc. During the shot, I actually played the chords. I also learnt a particular dialect because my character has a northern accent."

As for Akhtar, he has already showcased his vocal talents in films like Rock On! (2008) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011). However, Lucknow Central has not yet featured a song with the actor exercising this talent.

It was certainly a very different time as Akhtar was just arriving out of his Rock On! success, and Chopra was not yet the global star that she is today. Neither was Jain the actor soon to be launched by a production house as esteemed as Yash Raj Films.

As of today, Akhtar and Chopra have already established themselves as actors with multiple talents, having sung off and on-screen. Jain now has the chance to repeat it by being a part of the musical Qaidi Band.

While there is a lot of talk about the issue over their film's plots, it looks like Akhtar can take solace that it was on his show that his latest competitor found his rhythm first.

Watch Jain's performance from 31.15 minutes onwards: