Sonu Sood, who is gung-ho about sharing screen space with legendary international actor Jackie Chan in "Kung Fu Yoga", says the Bollywood number in the upcoming Sino-Indian project will be a treat for his fans.
How easy was it to convince Chan for a Bollywood number?
"I convinced him one day. I remember sitting with him and having dinner, and I told Jackie that we should have a Bollywood number," Sonu told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
The "Dabangg" star says that at first, Chan wasn't convinced with the idea of a Bollywood song and dance sequence.
"He (Chan) said 'You all Indian actors can sing and dance, but we can't'. So I said, 'Don't worry... We don't sing, we just lip sync, but we should definitely have a dance number'," added Sonu.
The 43-year-old actor said Chan was eventually "very happy about" having a 'desi' number in the movie.
"Then we got Farah and we shot the whole song. It was good fun and when I saw the song I thought it will be a treat to all Jackie Chan fans," Sonu said.
Talking about Chan as a co-star, Sonu said: "Jackie is one of the most grounded people I have ever come across. Very grounded, a thorough gentleman."
Sonu and the "Rush Hour" star spent about a year shooting for "Kung Fu Yoga" in picturesque places in locations across Dubai, China, Iceland and India.
"I learnt a lot of action from him, I even learnt his Jackie Chan stunt. I loved every bit of it," he said.
For now, Sonu is looking forward to "Tutak Tutak Tutiya", which marks his foray into movie production. Directed by Vijay, the film stars Tamannaah Bhatia and Prabhudheva. It is releasing on October 7.
Would Sonu like to cast Jackie in any of his home productions?
"I'd love to. I am definitely going to pitch something to him as long as he gives me some good discount," quipped Sonu.
Directed by Stanley Tong, "Kung Fu Yoga" is part of the three-film agreement signed between the two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India. The film also stars actress Amyra Dastur. It is reported that the Bollywood stars have performed some adrenalin-pumping action sequences for the movie.
This is not the first time that the "The Legend of Drunken Master" is starring along with a Bollywood actor. Chan had collaborated with Bollywood beauty Mallika Sherawat in his 2005 film "The Myth".