East-West collaborations excite me, says Indian pop star Chauhan

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Sunidhi Chauhan, one of India’s biggest pop stars, wants to collaborate with megastars like Justin Timberlake and Usher as she looks to push her career beyond Bollywood.

"Collaborations excite me. The whole blend of two cultures coming together is a beautiful thing," Chauhan told Reuters in London ahead of her 2017 UK tour with Rock On Music.

Hailed across the Indian film industry for her versatile voice, Chauhan has already produced a song with singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias.

"It turned out to be good. People liked it and I’m so happy about that," said the singer who started her career as a teenager and has delivered hit after hit in the last two decades.

At home, she’s widely regarded as the 'Queen of item numbers' -- Bollywood movie dance tracks that are then lip-synched by leading actresses in films.

But in 2017 she wants to branch out further.

"This year I’m definitely going to pay attention to singles that I want to do. You know, some independent music, not just stick to films but also show a different side of my personality through my music,” the softly spoken singer said.

Chauhan also wants to advance her acting career after making made her debut in the short film ‘Playing Priya’ late last year. She’s eyeing bigger roles and says she would love to do a biopic on the late actress Madhubala, who viewed by many as India’s Marilyn Monroe.

Chauhan’s confident she can juggle both singing and acting. Her passion knows no boundaries: She’s sung in languages she doesn’t understand, including French, and has crossed over into the Pakistani music industry.

"I’ve sung for so many Pakistani jingles and films. It's like performing at home in India. There’s no difference,” Chauhan said.

"The politics and everything, I honestly don’t get into all those things because it upsets me, and at the end of the day, life is too short.” (Editing by Richard Lough)