Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh halts US tour midway through to return back to India

Popular and controversial rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh has temporarily halted his ongoing US tour to return to India, as a favor to friend and Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar.

Kumar has requested that Singh provide a track for Kumar’s upcoming film, Shaukeen. The film is still in early stages, as songs are typically recorded early on so that the actors can later dance to them during filming, but the film is a remake of the Shaukeen film from 1982. It is directed by Abhishek Sharma, of Tere Bin Laden fame, and will co-star Lisa Haydon opposite Kumar.

Singh and Kumar’s friendship is no secret, as the former has sung a number of songs for films starring the Bollywood heartthrob. Most recently, Singh recorded “Party All Night” for Kumar’s 2013 production, Boss, and has also sung a track for Kumar’s Khiladi 786. Additionally, Singh can be heard on the soundtracks for hit films like Cocktail, Race 2, and Chennai Express.

In addition to taking time off for Kumar, Singh also hung out with another famous Bollywood friend of his: Shah Rukh Khan. The two, who collaborated on the track “Lungi Dance” for Khan’s Chennai Express, flew to Abu Dhabi last week for an IPL match, after which they partied together.

Khan is in the Middle East shooting his latest film, Happy New Year, directed by Farah Khan. The movie will re-united Khan with Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan, and is due for release later this year.

There’s no word yet on if and when Singh will resume his US tour. In addition to his live performance obligations, Singh is gearing up for the release of The Xpose, a film he made with musician/actor Himesh Reshammiya that will be Singh’s debut as an actor in a major movie role. The film is currently set to hit screens on May 23.

Kumar, meanwhile, is gearing up for the release of his next film, Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty.  That film, which co-stars Sonakshi Sinha and Govinda, directed by A.R. Murugadoss (Ghajini), is set to hit theaters worldwide on June 6.