MJ's lead guitarist strums for 'Rockstar'

New Delhi, Sep 30 Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman roped in Orianthi Panagaris, lead guitarist of the late king of pop Michael Jackson's team, to play for the song 'Saadda Haq' in Imtiaz Ali's forthcoming film 'Rockstar'.

'While Rahman and Imtiaz had short-listed several Indian and international musicians, they had Orianthi on the top of their list, given her incredible body of work and her huge international success,' a source from the team said.

Rahman checked with his agent in Los Angeles and even met Orianthi during one of his visits there. He made her listen to the track and Orianthi immediately agreed to be a part of the film.

'The director also had a long discussion earlier with Orianthi on Skype, briefing her about the film's story and the song's relevance. Orianthi, who was sitting with Rahman in Los Angeles immediately played some tunes that she felt could work well for the song. They (Imtiaz and Rahman) loved it and so Orianthi was on board,' the source added.

Rahman recorded the 'Saadda Haq' in his Los Angeles studio. The process took six hours, while Imtiaz witnessed the entire process through Skype software apps.