King Releases on December 24: Shah Rukh Khan's First Film in Three Years, Suhana Khan's Debut, Cast and What We Know

• Release: December 24, 2026.
• Director: Siddharth Anand, who made Pathaan (2023) and War (2019).
• Lead: Shah Rukh Khan, reportedly as a skilled assassin, with Suhana Khan as his apprentice.
• Cast: Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Jaideep Ahlawat and Arshad Warsi, among others.
• Music: songs by Sachin-Jigar, background score by Anirudh Ravichander.

Why this film matters

2023 was Shah Rukh Khan's biggest year in a decade. He released three films, Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki, and the first two became major hits. In 2025, he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, for Jawan, sharing it. Since then, fans have waited for his next move. King reunites him with Siddharth Anand, the director of Pathaan, which revived his career after several quiet years.

Who is Siddharth Anand?

Siddharth Anand has become Bollywood's go-to director for big action films. He started with romantic comedies such as Salaam Namaste (2005), then moved to action with Bang Bang! (2014) and War (2019), before making Pathaan (2023) with Shah Rukh Khan and Fighter (2024), an aerial action film with Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. King is his second film with Shah Rukh Khan, and fans expect large-scale action sequences shot across several countries.

The story, as reported

The makers have not released a detailed plot. Reports say Shah Rukh Khan plays an assassin and Suhana Khan plays his apprentice, and that the story is inspired by the 1994 French-American film Léon: The Professional, in which a hitman takes a young girl under his wing. Treat this as reported rather than confirmed until the trailer arrives.

The cast

According to the film's listings, the cast includes:

• Shah Rukh Khan
• Suhana Khan, in her first theatrical film after her streaming debut in The Archies (2023)
• Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh's co-star in Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express and Pathaan
• Abhishek Bachchan
• Rani Mukerji
• Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Jaideep Ahlawat and Arshad Warsi

Kareena Kapoor is listed in a special appearance, and Ranveer Singh is reported to have a cameo.

The team behind the camera

• Director: Siddharth Anand, who also co-wrote the screenplay.
• Story: Sujoy Ghosh, known for Kahaani.
• Dialogue: Abbas Tyrewala.
• Producers: Gauri Khan and Siddharth Anand, through Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures.
• Music: Sachin-Jigar for the songs, and Anirudh Ravichander, who also composed for Jawan, for the score.

Where it was shot

Filming began in May 2025 at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai, and later moved to Warsaw and Gdańsk in Poland and Cape Town in South Africa. A planned shoot in Dubai was moved to Mumbai because of tensions in the Middle East. The final phase of shooting took place in August 2026. Reports put the budget at about ₹350 crore, which would make it one of the most expensive Hindi films ever made, though the makers have not confirmed this.

A busy end to the year

King closes a big year for Hindi cinema. Ramayana: Part 1 opens on November 5, ahead of Diwali, and *Drishyam 3: The Conclusion* has already crossed ₹500 crore worldwide. A Christmas release gives King the year-end holidays, traditionally strong weeks at the box office, before the new year's releases arrive.

What to watch for next

• The trailer: usually released three to four weeks before a big film. It will show how close the story is to the reported premise.
• Music launch: with Anirudh on the score, the songs could arrive in November.
• Certification: an action thriller of this kind may get a UA 13+ or UA 16+ certificate. Read our guide to India's film certificates.
• Advance bookings: typically open about a week before release for star films.

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