Sonakshi's birthday surprise for Akon!

It was international singer Akon's birthday yesterday (April 16) and he got a gift from Sonakshi Sinha. The actress surprised him with a special hand-crafted, raw silk Nehru bandhgala suit, which was specially designed by daddy Shatrughan's designer.

Akon was so impressed that he promised to wear it for one of his shows. And where did all this happen? At the zoOm studio, where as guest-of-honor and celebrity host Sonakshi engaged the international singing sensation in a heartfelt interview.

Akon candidly spoke about his struggles, how the death of the legendary Michael Jackson affected him and his dreams of working in a Hindi movie.

The musician, however, refused to sing for the Dabangg girl and that's because he wanted her to attend his live concert. But Sonakshi, not one to give up, convinced him to mouth her famous dialogue 'Thappad se darr nahin lagta saaheb, pyaar se lagta hai'. Catch the interview on Planet Bollywood at 7 pm tomorrow, exclusively on zoOm!

Akon wants to act in Bollywood movies

Bollywood is his ultimate goal and India like his second home, Senegalese-American rapper and singer Akon said here Friday.

The "Beautiful" singer, who landed here on his birthday Friday, will be performing in Gurgaon and Bangalore.

"Thank you everyone for having me here. I love India and I keep looking for ways to come here. You guys show more than loyalty towards my art and my career. I don't have words to express my feelings...I hope I get many more opportunities to come here and share my talent with you. I feel like a family here. This is like a second home to me," Akon told reporters here.

He is here for the The Venky's Akon Live In Concert and will perform in Gurgaon and Bangalore.

"I'm waiting to get into Bollywood movies. That's ultimately my goal. I want to do it successfully. I'm not quite sure what character (I would play), but I definitely want to do it," said the singer, who has worked with composer Aadesh Srivastava and also sang a song for Shah Rukh Khan's forthcoming film "Ra.One".

"Working with Shah Rukh was an amazing experience. He opened me up to Bollywood. He made me see a whole new light and the possibilities. I enjoyed it so much that I'm trying to sneak in now," he added.

The singer will celebrate his 38th birthday in Pune and perform before 1,200 people at a private concert in West Inn hotel in the town.

Akon is skipping a Mumbai concert this time but looks forward to performing here soon.

"India is very big, we can't cover a lot in two days. So next time I'm going to do a tour and cover more cities," said the singer, who was dressed in all black and had come to press conference straight from the airport.

The Venky's Akon Live In Concert is being brought to the country by Netsurf Entertainment and B.M. Group and IVNO Events and Productions, in association with Thrive Entertainment and S. Raj Entertainment. Venky's, the single largest poultry brand in Asia, is the title sponsor of the two concerts.

Akon says he loves Indian audiences and the culture of the country.

"Indians never have a hard time expressing themselves, so you get a great crowd here. The most I love about India is its culture. I love the fact that it is so parallel to African culture. They never forgot their history and passed it down to the generations that's why the culture is so strong here. It's amazing. Most cultures do not put emphasis on history. The generations do not forget their traditions and carry on the legacy."