Penn Masala picked for cameo role in 'Pitch Perfect 2'

Lend them your ears: Penn Masala, Penn’s internationally renowned South Asian all-male a cappella group, will be joining the actors of “Pitch Perfect 2” on the big screen as their musical rivals next May.

Penn Masala is the only collegiate a capella group in the movie and one of just two real-world a cappella groups alongside the famous Pentatonix.

“Pitch Perfect 2,” set to be released on May 15, 2015, is the sequel to the first “Pitch Perfect” movie, which revolves around Anna Kendrick’s character Beca, who goes to Barden University and spices up the all-girls a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, while searching for a way to fit in at college. (Spoiler: She fits in at the end).

Penn Masala’s journey to the big screen began when the movie’s director, 1996 College graduate Elizabeth Banks, reached out to Masala through Deke Sharon, a notable a cappella producer.

“We all flew into Baton Rouge for a week this summer, where we filmed by night and mostly slept and hung out by day,” Penn Masala President Dilip Rajan, a College and Wharton senior, said in an email. The members of Penn Masala do not have any scripted lines in the movie, but Rajan stated that a few impromptu interactions were filmed.

While Rajan did not reveal what song, or songs, the group will be performing in “Pitch Perfect 2,” he said audiences can look forward to the “combination of English and Hindi music” that will be performed “in a different way than our usual style.”

Some of Rajan’s favorite aspects of being in the film were meeting Banks, Pentatonix and the Barden Bellas and having the opportunity to represent Penn “to the millions who see the movie.” Rajan and the other Penn Masala members also got other perks, like being able to hang out with each other on set and a Barden University banner autographed by the cast.

“Right now, we’re just grateful for the incredible opportunity we had. The impact [of being in the movie] on our group remains to be seen, but we’re hoping that our family, friends and fans enjoy our performance in ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ when it comes out next May,” Rajan said.

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