Akon to sing for Khan's 'Ra.One'

Shah Rukh Khan. (Getty)

NEW DELHI -- Rapper Akon will sing for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming superhero caper "Ra.One," directed by Anubhav Sinha and written by David Benullo ("Hallowed Ground").

The announcement was made Tuesday in Mumbai at a press event attended by Khan, Akon and the film's co-star actress Kareena Kapoor. In "Ra.One," Khan stars as a Miami-based software engineer who becomes a super-hero battling his self-created techno-monster. "Ra.One" is a word play on the Indian demon god "Ravan" from the Ramayana epic.

Slated to begin shooting in the U.S. in the coming months, unconfirmed reports indicate "Ra.One" will be budgeted at $21 million (1 billion rupees). The film will be produced by Khan's banner Red Chillies Entertainment, which co-produced the actor's latest release "My Name Is Khan."

While Akon has performed in India earlier, the Senegalese-American singer said he was looking forward to perform here again during his upcoming world tour.

Before arriving in Mumbai Tuesday, local media reported that Akon had performed at a high society wedding in New Delhi last weekend.

Signed to Universal Music, Akon shot to worldwide fame with his 2006 album "Konvicted" which included the breakthrough single "Smack That," featuring Eminem that earned a Grammy nomination for for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ibf16730c88012cb1ddbe40e4a1fee5cd