Actor from 'Hanuman Ansh' appears in song for film 'King' with Shah Rukh Khan

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan celebrated his 61st birthday, on which the first track from his upcoming film 'King,' titled 'Tu Mil Jaye,' was released. The release of this musical number allowed fans to celebrate.

According to Pinkvilla, the upcoming film 'King' has already generated approximately 665 crore rupees prior to its official release. The production budget for the film is estimated at around 400 crore rupees, which includes Siddharth Anand's fee, but Shah Rukh Khan's fee is not included in this amount. If Shah Rukh's estimated fee is added, the total production cost could reach 500 crore rupees, plus expected promotion and release expenses of about 40 crore rupees.

The majority of the pre-release income for 'King' came from theatrical rights. According to the report, Pen Marudhar acquired the theatrical rights in India for 250 crore rupees. Additionally, the Dubai-based company Farsh Films secured international rights under a minimum guarantee of 175 crore rupees. Thus, the film collected 425 crore rupees just from theatrical rights in India and abroad.

Furthermore, Netflix purchased digital rights worth about 150 crore rupees. It is also reported that 65 crore rupees were received from music rights and approximately 25 crore rupees from satellite rights. As a result, the total declared pre-release revenue for 'King' reached 665 crore rupees, meaning Shah Rukh has already earned about 225 crore rupees.

Such large deals for the film demonstrate the trust of distributors and buyers of other rights in Shah Rukh Khan's star power, especially following the impressive success of his films like 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan' worldwide, which generates high expectations for his future works.

The minimum guarantee of 175 crore rupees for international rights is also a significant deal; reports suggest it is the largest minimum guarantee for international rights for an Indian film to date. Nevertheless, the pre-business of 665 crore rupees cannot be considered pure profit. Distributors acquiring theatrical rights must achieve strong box office performance to recoup their investments. Consequently, 'King' must have a strong opening at the box office and retain viewers in theaters for a long time. Out of the total sum of 665 crore rupees, about 425 crore rupees came from theatrical rights, so the success of these deals depends on high box office earnings.

From the producers' perspective, the declared revenue of 665 crore rupees significantly exceeds the production costs of 400 crore rupees and the release expenses of 40 crore rupees. However, this cannot be considered guaranteed profit, as all these figures are based on the stated value of the deals. Some agreements may depend on the film's performance, and the actual revenue will be determined by the contract terms.

In the film 'King,' besides Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Suhana Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Abhishek Bachchan will also participate, along with many other Bollywood stars. In this project, Shah Rukh Khan and director Siddharth Anand have reunited. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 24, 2026.

A discussion erupted on social media after the release of the new poster for Shah Rukh Khan's highly anticipated action film 'King,' which began to be compared to Ranveer Singh's film 'Dhurandhar 2.' Users online noted similarities in imagery, aggressive background, and composition.

The poster, released on Tuesday, October 27, depicts Shah Rukh Khan with a rose between his lips and a serious expression. Although the film appears to be a blend of action and romance, the main subject of the online discussion is the external resemblance of its promotional materials to 'Dhurandhar 2.'

One user on X (Twitter) criticized the poster, stating that the imitation of the look, fiery background, and framing would not allow it to become a 'Dhurandhar,' calling the poster a 'cheap and trashy thing created with AI' for Shah Rukh Khan's #King.

Another user accused the film's script and poster of being copied from other projects. They wrote that 'the brother copied the script from 'Leon: Professional,' and now look what happened? He also copied the poster from #Dhurandhar2. #SHARKHANKING, only because he exists (sarcastically)! '

A third user accused the filmmakers of borrowing design concepts from 'Dhurandhar: Revenge,' writing: 'Shame on you. You copied the design concept of the 'Dhurandhar: Revenge' poster.'

Another user compared the film's promotional materials to two other movies, noting that the first poster was copied from Brad Pitt's 'F1,' and the second from Ranveer Singh's 'Dhurandhar 2,' suggesting that the entire film might be a 'copy-paste' from Siddharth Anand, labeling 'King' an unofficial remake of SRK.

During a special event for his 60th birthday, Shah Rukh described his role in 'King' as 'ruthless and grey.' He also spoke about the difference between hero and villain, recalling complex and dark characters from his career. Shah Rukh noted that people often draw a clear line between good and evil, but he never admitted this. He mentioned working on films like 'Deewana' early in his career, where his character could be considered a villain or stalker by today's standards. This was followed by a series of films such as 'Don,' 'Anjaam,' and 'Baazigar,' where he played villains.

'King,' directed by Siddharth Anand, is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures. It will also feature Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Arshad Warsi, and Anil Kapoor, while Shah Rukh Khan will play an action-packed role.

'King' will be released in theaters simultaneously with several major projects, including 'Avengers: Judgment Day,' 'Dune: Part Three,' and the centenary film 'Nagarjuna's King100.'

During the preliminary screening of the film 'Ramayana,' which took place in Hyderabad last Monday, the entire cast was presented. Producer Namit Malhotra shared his future plans, announcing that two parts of 'Ramayana' and a larger concept—a 'Ramayana' universe similar to India's 'MCU'—are planned, where each character will be featured in separate films.

At the event in Hyderabad, Namit Malhotra showed a special video illustrating his vision for the 'Ramayana' project. The video demonstrated how the creators aim to explain the story of 'Ramayana' to the world, as well as how leading Hollywood specialists were involved in the film's production. He also presented how DNEG is investing its technological expertise to create a new level of cinematography.

The video detailed the creation process of the film 'Ramayana.' Among the moments that particularly impressed the audience were Namit Malhotra's plans to create separate films about Hanuman and Angada. The first glimpse of what Hanuman and Angada might look like was shown.

Regarding Hanuman, only his silhouette was displayed: he was depicted flying in the air facing the sun. His powerful physique and staff in hand generated significant interest from the public. It was suggested that Sani Deol might play this role in 'Ramayana,' although the final decision will be announced later.

Angada also made his debut. He was one of the most powerful and wise warriors of Lord Rama's Vanara army. When he arrived in Lanka with a message of peace, no one could move him. Therefore, Angada plays an important role in the story of 'Ramayana,' and a separate film about him is planned.

This video also provided a full glimpse of Kumbhakarna. Previously, viewers had criticized Kumbhakarna's visual effects in released trailers, deeming them low quality. However, in this video, Kumbhakarna appears completely different, indicating an improvement in VFX by the creators.

As for the film 'Ramayana' itself, the first part is scheduled for release on November 5, 2026. Pre-sales have already begun for the Dasara festival.