Rumours have been flying thick and fast that the maiden India concert of Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, may be postponed due to the conflict in West Asia. The speculation gained momentum after Bahraini rapper Flipperachi cancelled his India tour that was scheduled to take place on March 14 and 15. However, sources in the organising team of West’s concert have dismissed the chatter.

A source from White Fox, the firm organising the event, told mid-day, “All operational timelines remain intact. We are in the final phase of execution, and ticket demand has been strong.” The source added that they are monitoring international developments as a precautionary measure.

British rock band Def Leppard, too, is expected to go ahead with its tour. An event executive associated with the show said, “International tours are always subject to global conditions, but as of now there is no change.”

She was the playful childlike voice that you heard in O Saya in Slumdog Millionaire. Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam, better known as MIA, is the first singer of Asian descent to be nominated for an Oscar and Grammy award in the same year. The UK-based hip hop artiste, who spent her formative years in Sri Lanka and India, has stayed true to the topics close to her heart, using her music as a political tool to talk about refugees, immigrants, identity politics and sexual stereotypes. She also harbours aspirations to star in an Indian film. In a tell-all interview with BT, the singer opens up about rapping alongside Kanye West while she was heavily pregnant and why the Hindi films of the 90s hold a special place in her heart.

Now that you've made a mark in the music world, do you harbour any aspirations to make it big on the silver screen?
Yes, I want to act in films. I would like to come to India and work with a team in Mumbai because right now so much is happening here. I haven't seen a lot of Bollywood films but I like the work of some directors in the South. I loved the Tamil film Pizza. That was something really fresh. I also enjoyed watching the Tamil version of R Madhavan's Saala Khadoos. It had a strong female protagonist.

So, which industry would you like to explore - Tamil or Hindi?
I wouldn't know at this stage. I would like to put a team together that is a mix of both Tamil and Hindi artistes. I want to not necessarily make a film in India, but more like a project connected to the place. I would like to write a script when I go back, assemble a team and make a film. The idea is to be comfortable working in both the environments and make good cinema.

Tell us about the Bollywood theme in your song that features in your latest album.
I know that I might be perceived as a westerner at this point in my life, but I am not. I have lived in India before and am familiar with the cultural and historical aspects of the country. I know that there are a few things you can't do here. But for now I am here because I want to bridge the gap. Rather than trying to show that Westernisation is about girls smoking cigarettes or downing shots of tequila, I wanted to show the old-school Bollywood to the music industry in the West because I like that. For instance, you are a pop star and you want to do a magazine shoot with a 90s supermodel, you will derive your reference from someone like Naomi Campbell. So, I asked myself that if I came to India to make a pop video, what would I refer to? And I thought of the 90s when Bollywood became eye candy around the world.

What made you choose Bollywood as a theme?
I just came back from working in a Syrian refugee camp where I discovered that they all watch Bollywood films. It's such a big part of their lives. So, I wanted to come to Mumbai and examine that as well as the music for myself. We are running away from the poetry and romanticism and moving towards cheap, quickfix movies and music. Even here, everybody is obsessed trying to make the next Batman. But I wanted to present the aesthetics of the Bollywood romance of the 80s and 90s. They are like the Holy Grail for me and a lot of people of my generation.

Which songs did you refer to?
Mani Ratnam's Chaiyya Chaiyya. For me, he is a legend. And that song on the train is the perfect video ever. If I had that to my name, I would retire now. I met cinematographer Santosh Sivan who told me that it took so much planning to shoot that song. And you can tell, it is magic. When you make something with passion, you can see it on the screen.

In the age of Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, is it a challenge to get people to listen to your tracks which are politically charged?
Being politically aware is the most fashionable thing in the West now. If you are politically charged, you get Oscars and Grammys; it's completely accepted in music and culture. It's also ironic because it has been commodified and marketed that way so it's deeply saleable. But you know, my career has been like that from day one. I never compromised. It's who I am and I didn't do things for money or commodification of issues. I just represent a whole bunch of issues that are more fashionable. Even with India, I think I was the first to sing a song in a mainstream film here with Slumdog Millionaire. So, I am the icebreaker - I wrote political songs and broke the ice in this generation and now it's in vogue.

You performed with Kanye West, TI and Jay Z at the 2009 Grammies when you were nine months pregnant. Was it nerve-wracking?
It was a bit crazy, but that was a weird time in my life. I was having a baby, my song was number second on the charts and the Sri Lankan war had just ended; all this happened in the same month. It was mind-blowing. And I had to get there and perform with all these things in my head. I was not only the first Asian pop star, but also a Tamil one at that. I've always talked about the Tamil population throughout my entire career, and here was that moment where those people needed a voice and needed representation. At the same time, I didn't want to give up on my duties as a mother. Ultimately, you have to live by example and symbolise that for your own child. It's tough, but you've got to be strong. So I told myself that even if I had to give birth the next day, I would perform. That's how responsibility works. All the artistes were also supportive. There was an ambulance waiting for me backstage when the whole thing happened.

How did Kanye react?
He was worried that I would upstage him (laughs). Obviously, Kanye being Kanye was like, 'Are you sure you want to do this?'

Coldplay was in Mumbai to shoot a video. What attracts international pop stars to this city?
I have always shied away from showing street scenes or slums in my videos. Since I have lived in India, it is not new to me. I'm more interested in the beauty of the place. Chaos is not the 'wow' factor for me. I want to chip through all of that and find the serenity, simplicity and things that are more spiritual that has been buried by 'modernisation'. So, here I am trying to extract that true fabric of beauty and poetry at a time where things are going the other way.

Any plans to collaborate with A R Rahman again?
Rahman is a busy man. Working with him again is always a possibility. He is such a curious person. He is always trying out new styles and sounds. I'm like that too. So, I'm sure one day our paths will cross again.