AR Rahman and Michael Jackson are two music icons who continue to inspire generations. But few know that the duo came close to collaborating on a song once, and that too for a Rajinikanth film. Composer S Thaman recalled how an AR Rahman-Michael Jackson collaboration was in the works for Rajinikanth's sci-fi film Enthiran, only to be derailed by the King of Pop's death.
S Thaman On AR Rahman And Michael Jackson
Speaking with Honest Townhall about international collaborations, S Thaman recalled how AR Rahman and Jackson were set to work together on a track.
“AR Rahman had actually planned a single with Michael Jackson. They met, they designed a song, both of them wanted to compose a song for Rajinikanth. He had signed the deal in May, but Michael Jackson died in June,” Thaman revealed.
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, months before Enthiran's release. The S Shankar directorial featured Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in key roles. The soundtrack by AR Rahman featured the widely popular song Kilimanjaro.
S Thaman To Work With Hanumankind?
Speaking of international collaborations, S Thaman revealed that he is in talks with rapper Hanumankind for a track.
He declined to reveal more about his upcoming project with the Bengaluru-based artiste. “I spoke with him already. So much talk is going on. I can't say which film, but we are just waiting for the opportunity,” the National Award-winning composer said.
Hanumankind is known for tracks such as Big Dawgs and the title track of the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar.
S Thaman also disclosed that an international crossover song was in discussions for his recent project, Game Changer. The makers wanted to bring in pop icon Britney Spears for a track in the Ram Charan-starrer.
The composer said that there were plans to bring in Spears for the dance number Dope, as well as release an English-language international single alongside the movie. However, the plan was cancelled after the film got delayed.
Game Changer, directed by S Shankar, faced multiple release delays before releasing in January 2025.
S Thaman has composed the soundtrack for several hit films, mainly in Tamil and Telugu cinema. His famous projects include Ala Vaikuntapuramulo, Dookudu, and Yuvarathnaa.
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