The tradition of celebrating ‘Hanami,’ (Cherry Blossom) dates back over a thousand years in Japan while the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival was first launched in 2016
Akon in Shillong Pic/X
Senegalese-American singer Akon, who arrived in India to attend Shillong’s Cherry Blossom Music Festival, enthralled the audience by performing his iconic Bollywood song ‘Chammak Challo’. Akon left no stone unturned to captivate the crowd as he also crooned his legendary tracks ‘Smack That’ and ‘Lonely’ to name a few. Watch the video below.
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Latest: Akon performing 'Chammak Challo' at the Cherry Blossom Music Festival in Shillong last night.
— ℣ (@Vamp_Combatant) November 16, 2024
AN ABSOLUTE CHARTBUSTER @iamsrk pic.twitter.com/SqyFtMvRFU
Akon would love to reunite with Shah Rukh Khan
Akon lent his voice to Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Ra.One' which did not perform well at the box office but left the audience with many messages, especially about how good triumphs over evil. It also made waves with the song ‘Chammak Challo’ that was filmed on SRK and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film was a modern-day retelling of Ramayana but with a sci-fi twist.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, the singer shared, "Bollywood has always been very close to my heart, and if an opportunity to work on Chammak Challo 2.0 presents itself, I would love to grab it."
“I have been following India's music scene very closely and I miss Bollywood. There is a lot of Bollywood work that will happen in 2025. I am already in touch with some of my friends in the industry, and I am looking forward to announcing the project soon,” he added.
Shillong’s Cherry Blossom Music Festival
Akon’s performance was followed by an electric show by legendary group Boney M on their "Farewell Tour". The festival was inaugurated by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in the presence of Union Minister of DoNER (Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region) Jyotiraditya Scindia and Tourism Minister of Meghalaya Paul Lyngdoh.
The tradition of celebrating ‘Hanami,’ (Cherry Blossom) dates back over a thousand years in Japan while the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival was first launched in 2016 and is the first autumn Cherry Blossom Festival in the world.
Akon at Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding
Earlier this year, Akon set the stage on fire with his special performance at the pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. On day three of the gala event, Akon performed 'Chammak Challo' which got superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan to shake a leg on the dance floor.