Michael Jackson was set to sing for Rajinikanth’s Enthiran: Thaman reveals lost AR Rahman collaboration

Music director S Thaman is teasing a new international collaboration with rapper Hanumankind, known for his hit Big Dawgs. However, Thaman also revealed that two earlier global collaborations almost took place, one involving AR Rahman and Michael Jackson. The talks between Rahman and Jackson had progressed to the point where they had even met and began shaping a song for Rajinikanth's film Enthiran.

Rahman had signed a deal to compose the song in May 2009, but Michael Jackson passed away in June of the same year, preventing the collaboration from moving forward. Enthiran, directed by S Shankar and starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, became one of the most expensive and technically advanced Indian films of its time, with Rahman's soundtrack, including the popular hit Kilimanjaro, becoming a massive success without Jackson's involvement.

Thaman further disclosed that his own film, the Ram Charan-starrer Game Changer, had also been in talks for a similar collaboration with Britney Spears for the dance number Dope. The plan was to release an English-language single alongside the movie, but the collaboration was lost due to the film's delays.