Shakira to sing in "Azaan"

There have been several false starts, but this time, it's for real. Shakira will be singing for a major Bollywood production. The makers of Azaan, a film that marks the debut of gutka baron Jagdish Joshi's son Sachin Joshi, have sealed the deal with the popular Columbian singer.

Shakira was approached by composers Salim-Sulaiman, with the blessing of none other than Shah Rukh Khan, who not only endorses a beverage manufactured by the Joshis, but is also going all-out to promote Sachin's debut.

"Sachin and Salim-Sulaiman have been trying their best to lure Shakira with the double bait of big bucks and Bollywood. Last year, the deal fell through. This year, however, things have gone differently. They approached Shakira to do a promotional video for the movie, and to their delight, she agreed," said a source.

When asked, we heard, "Salim-Sulaiman presented their ideas on what they wanted her to do, and she liked them. She'll be singing a song in her patented space, which will be, at the same time, typically 'Bollywood'." The last time we heard that Shakira was doing a number in Bollywood, we ended up finding just a mention of her name in a song from No Problem. Let's hope, this one's more than that.

Lady GaGa + Salim-Sulaiman = Born this way..

Three-time Grammy award winner Lady Gaga is taking a keen interest in India. The platinum selling artiste collaborated with Indian movie composers Salim-Sulaiman and created a Bollywood style remix of her single Born this way…, which released earlier this week. The song will be part of her second studio album of the same name and is set to launch worldwide on May 23.

The four-minute filmi track is replete with a sitar intro, dhol beats, dubstep and background voice of Salim with Gaga’s vocal flair.

“Lady Gaga’s record label Interscope contacted us through the Canadian website, Desi Hits with the proposal to remix the song. We produced it and sent it back in 20 days,” explains Sulaiman, who steered clear of typical bhangra beats and attempted to give it a more Bollywood feel instead. “We were specifically told to make it sound like a Hindi movie club number. That’s why we put in the sitar sample and Salim sang the background vocals.”

The music composer further reveals that Gaga has produced another Indian version of Born this way…. “Canadian Punjabi artistes Sunny Brown and Baba Kahn have also produced a mix to suit the UK desi market,” says Sulaiman, before adding that though it is too early to confirm, Lady Gaga may soon be visiting the country for either a concert or to record a Bollywood song.

The 25-year-old songstress too has expressed her eagerness. “I can’t wait to come to India. When Salim-Sulaiman sent me the track, I connected with the dhol and rhythms very well. They’ve done a fabulous job. It’ll be great to meet and work with more musicians like them,” says Lady Gaga.

The Emmy-winning musicians, who’re known to have previously incorporated western, folk, Hindustani and Sufi influences in their music, were an easy choice for Interscope. Tory Carter, head of Gaga’s management team confirms, “We collaborated with Indian music producers from across the globe to show our respect and appreciation for our fans. Desi is a new urban genre that combines traditional Indian music with Western pop and RnB. Salim-Sulaiman were ideal for the job."