Mike Tyson shot clips for new Indian movie in Las Vegas, not India

Mike Tyson danced to Bollywood music for a promotional video for a new Indian movie about a diamond heist, but he performed in Las Vegas, not India, a newspaper reported Monday.

Photo: Mike Tyson shot clips for new Indian movie in Las Vegas, not India

The former boxing champion had been expected to travel to India to film a dance sequence for the movie "Fool n Final," but the scene was instead shot in Las Vegas because of a lack of a proper venue in India, director Ahmed Khan said.

"We could not find a suitable stadium in India to shoot with him," Khan told the Mumbai Mirror. "I was also worried about Mike's security so we decided to shoot in Las Vegas."

The Indian media reported last month that Tyson had set several conditions before agreeing to shoot in India - no media, no spicy Indian food and an entire hotel floor reserved for himself.

But Khan and the producers said it was a better location and tighter security in Las Vegas that made the filmmakers opt to shoot the sequence there.

"It was a pleasure shooting with Mike," the newspaper quoted movie producer Firoz Nadiadwala as saying. "He was courteous and friendly on the sets and spoke to everyone from the assistants to the production guys with ease."

The music video was shot over a two-day period with nearly 100 American performers, he said.

The comedy, set for a June release, features well-known Indian actors Sunny Deol, Shahid Kapur, Vivek Oberoi, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Ayesha Takia and Sameera Reddy. In the slapstick film, two diamond-thirsty gangs clash over the loot while it is being shipped from the Middle East to India.

Both Khan and Nadiadwala are well known in Bollywood. Khan has choreographed dances in more than 45 movies since 1994 and has directed two movies. Nadiadwala has produced nine movies, mainly comedies, including last year's hit "Phir Hera Pheri" (Some More Hustling).

Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history at 20 in 1986.

His life took a nose-dive when he was convicted of rape in 1992 and then pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault charges in a separate case in 1999. Tyson again hit the front pages when he bit Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight in 1997.