Agence France Presse

Mumbai

Queen of rock and roll Tina Turner has been signed for a mystic Hollywood movie

by US-based Indian director Ismail Merchant in which she will play an Indian goddess, the director said. The 63-year-old pop diva and grandmother who is a convert to Buddhism has spent two weeks touring India “on a cultural recce” to familiarise herself with Indian culture ahead of filming for the movie, ‘The Goddess’, which is about the power of women.

“I think Ismail (Merchant) chose me because of my ‘shakti’ (power) within. I’m special in that I’ve had a long run and I’m still here,” Turner told reporters.

Merchant said he had taken Turner to Kerala and other parts of the country “where she saw Hindu ‘pujas’ (prayers) and the way Indians live. This will enrich her experience to understand this country more and give a better perspective about her role in our film.”

Shooting for the film will begin early next year, said the director.

Merchant said Turner, who grew up on a farm in Nut Bush, Tennessee, in the late 1930s and had a lonely, difficult childhood, was the right choice to play a strong role in the movie.

Turner is due to play the role of the Hindu goddess, Shakti, who gives people power and energy to survive, said Merchant.

Turner, who once famously declared she planned to work until she turned 90, will sing and dance on the back of a tiger.

Merchant said the film will have songs in Sanskrit and English and will also star Hollywood actor Matthew Modine who played in his latest film, ‘Le Divorce’, as well as Bollywood actors. Merchant said Turner would have to sing in Latin and Sanskrit. The music will be composed by famed Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain.

The once hyper-frenetic performer told reporters she has spent the last few years quietly in Zurich, happily pottering around her home, taking long strolls and sleeping 10 hours a day.