Shahrukh Khan has joined hands with YouTube and Google Plus to promote his forthcoming superhero flick, 'Ra.One' that is slated for a Diwali release. The initiative will make Shah Rukh one of the first Indian celebrities to be on the Google Plus platform and engage with fans.

Google India head Rajan Anandan announced in a conference with Shahrukh Khan that the Bollywood actor will be participating in live chats with fans on Google+ as part of an agreement which will see Google promoting the movie’s channel on YouTube. Ra.One is also currently being heavily advertised on Google’s AdWords channels.

Shahrukh today launched a custom built movie channel on the world‘s leading online video platform YouTube for his upcoming superhero film Ra.One. Khan's production company, Red Chillies Entertainment the producer of Ra.One, together with the YouTube team also released a viral promo for the upcoming film.

The movie channel on YouTube will offer users all promotional video content and special extras for Ra.One. Fans can look forward to exclusives with Shah Rukh Khan’s thoughts on Ra.One, behind the scenes shots, uncut footage of the star cast, and videos of the Ra.One premiere and red carpet events planned in London.

On the association with YouTube, Shahrukh Khan said, “YouTube is an incredibly powerful platform to engage fans across the globe and is integral to all blockbuster movie promotions in Hollywood. For Ra.One, I wanted to leverage the full potential of digital media and create an experience on YouTube and Google+ that has never been done for any Indian film. I am very excited about the project and am personally working with the Google team to create a destination that my fans can enjoy from anywhere in the world.”

Leveraging the movie’s hi-end graphics and special effects, the specially designed channel will also host games including the first Social Game from India, digital comic, as well as unique contests where participants get a chance to create Ra.One promos from clips, music and dialogues of the film provided in an easy to use interface and compete for the most views, and a chance to meet the Superstar.

Rajan Anandan, MD and Vice President, Sales and Operations, Google India said, “We are very pleased to associate with Shah Rukh Khan to create a unique and customised destination for Ra.One on YouTube. In the last few years, Indian production houses have begun to embrace the YouTube platform to engage fans, distribute movies and leverage rich media ad formats to promote their movies online. Bollywood is now an integral part of the YouTube experience and reaches over 22 million unique users in India. With this channel we want to demonstrate how YouTube can be used creatively to connect with the highly engaged YouTube community in India and across the world.”

Shailja Gupta, head, Digital and Merchandising, Red Chillies said, "This initiative will break new ground in digital marketing for Bollywood films, and the 'make your own Ra.One promo' contest is a great example of how the channel will enhance fans’ interactive experience with the movie. Shah Rukh has promised that he will personally choose the winner from the top 10 user editor and promote it."

The Ra.One movie channel is the first customised channel of its kind to be released in India for a Bollywood movie on YouTube in India. Internationally, YouTube has worked with several Hollywood productions to create customised viral campaigns, like for the Expendables, and the most recent “Skadoosh!! Kung Fu Panda 2” with Jack Black, which became an instant worldwide hit.