Development Following the commercial success of
Pathaan (2023), reports emerged that
Shah Rukh Khan would collaborate with director
Sujoy Ghosh on an action thriller film. The project, reportedly produced by
Siddharth Anand and
Gauri Khan, was also said to feature Suhana Khan in her feature film debut. Initially titled
King, the film was scheduled to begin production in November 2023. The title had previously been acquired by
Sajid Nadiadwala for a planned project starring
Hrithik Roshan and directed by
Kabir Khan, which was later shelved; Nadiadwala subsequently transferred the rights to
Red Chillies Entertainment. Filming was originally planned to take place between November 2024 and March 2025, allowing Khan to prioritize other commitments, including
Tiger vs Pathaan; however, these plans were not realized. The schedule was later revised to January 2025, but this too was postponed. In August 2024, Khan confirmed the project at the
Locarno Film Festival in
Switzerland. In December 2024, Anand replaced Ghosh as director for undisclosed reasons. The film is reportedly inspired by the 1994 French film
Léon: The Professional.
Casting Khan and his daughter Suhana were officially confirmed as part of the film in February 2024, marking Suhana’s theatrical debut following her appearance in
The Archies (2023). While early reports suggested that Khan would appear in an extended cameo, it was later clarified that he plays a full-fledged lead role. He is reportedly cast as a sleek, highly skilled assassin, with Suhana portraying his protégé—an apprentice navigating the dangerous world under his guidance. In July 2024,
Abhishek Bachchan joined the project as the film’s primary antagonist.
Abhay Verma was cast in a pivotal role in August 2024.
Deepika Padukone was confirmed in April 2025 after initially declining due to personal commitments. During that period, the role had been offered to several leading actresses, including
Kareena Kapoor Khan,
Sonam Bajwa,
Katrina Kaif, and
Preity Zinta. However, following scheduling adjustments and at Khan’s request, Padukone ultimately joined the film. In the same month,
Arshad Warsi joined the cast. In May 2025,
Anil Kapoor and
Jackie Shroff joined the cast.
Rani Mukerji was also confirmed to play Suhana’s mother in the same month. In June 2025,
Jaideep Ahlawat,
Raghav Juyal, and
Saurabh Shukla were confirmed to be part of the film. Later, in September 2025,
Akshay Oberoi and
Karanvir Malhotra joined the cast.
Filming Principal photography was initially scheduled to begin in early 2025, but was delayed after Anand reworked the script. Filming commenced in May 2025 at
Mehboob Studios in
Mumbai. In June 2025, an action sequence set in a jail environment was shot at the same location with approximately 200 stunt performers, for which large-scale prison sets were constructed. During production, Juyal sustained a leg injury while performing stunt sequences. In July 2025, Khan also suffered a muscular injury while filming action scenes at the Golden Tobacco Factory in
Vile Parle, Mumbai, and subsequently travelled to the
United States for medical treatment, resulting in a brief delay in the schedule. The second schedule began in September 2025 in
Warsaw, Poland. Warsi confirmed his participation by sharing a photograph from Warsaw’s
Old Town on social media, to which Anand responded with the comment “Welcome to the Kingdom”. Filming resumed in December 2025 after a six-week break for Khan’s recovery. A large-scale action sequence featuring Khan and Bachchan, reportedly mounted on a budget of ₹50 crore, was subsequently filmed in Europe. In March 2026, an eight-night long
Vijayadashami action sequence involving Khan and Suhana was filmed at Ellora Studios, Mumbai. In April 2026, a desert sequence featuring Kapoor and Suhana was scheduled to be filmed in
Dubai; however, it was cancelled due to the ongoing
crisis in the Middle East. The sequence was subsequently shifted to
Mumbai for filming. In May 2026, filming relocated to
Cape Town,
South Africa, where a song sequence featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone was shot. == Music ==