With stars like Abhishek Bachchan taking to singing, cinema it would seem, has come full circle from the times of KL Saigal.

Amitabh Bachchan became a singing sensation and wooed the audience with Mere Angane Mein in Lawaris. After a decade, Aamir Khan asked Rani Mukerjee Aati Kya Khandala in his tapori style and Shah Rukh Khan followed suit with Apun Bola. Now, AB's baby Abhishek Bachchan is following daddy's footsteps and lending his voice to a song in his forthcoming movie Bluffmaster.

So what is so fascinating about singing that prompts Bollywood stars to take up the mike? None of these starsturned-singers have either any singing background or any formal training. But, the audience doesn't seem to mind as these songs become instant hits.

According to actor-turneddirector Sachin Pilgaonkar, who also anchors a music show, the tradition of actors singing is decades old in Bollywood. "Earlier actors like KL Saigal, Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar had musical backgrounds and knew how to sing. In fact Ashok Kumar got his break because he could sing. The trend changed with the advent of playback singing. Today, actors singing songs brings back the nostalgia of the golden era. Producers cash in on star power to create a USP for the film," he says.

Ghazal singer and music director Roopkumar Rathod feels actors generally lend their voice to songs for fun. "They don't have time for proper riyaaz and simply follow the music director's instructions. Most actors have absolutely no clue about the intricacies of sur and taal. Normally such songs are dialogues strung in a tune. Personally I think Amitji and Aamir Khan have done a great job, but Sunjay Dutt stuck to reciting dialogues in tune," says Rathod.

In veteran singer Suresh Wadekar's opinion, actors are made to sing on popular demand. "The Bollywood formula of item numbers banks on the visual portrayal of the song rather than the lyrics and tune. Actually an actor trying to sing is like a doctor trying to act -- but it hardly makes a difference if the song becomes popular," says he.

But do any of our actors have a musical background? "Normally actors who know the basics of singing are approached, but as they are doing it for fun, it hardly matters," says Sachin.

Actor Rajpal Yadav, has rather a different take. "There are situations when the actor lending his voice would help portray the character better. One is not expecting an actor to sing as well as playback singers, but an honest attempt often turns out well," concludes Rajpal.