Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film King is reportedly shaping up to be the most expensive project of his career. Reportedly, the Siddharth Anand-directorial has an estimated production budget of around Rs 450 crore, surpassing the reported budgets of Jawan and Pathaan.
The film, which marks Shah Rukh's return to the big screen after three years, reportedly went on floors in May 2025 and is expected to complete filming by August 2026. Over the course of its schedule, the team has shot for more than 150 days across multiple international locations.
According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, King features large-scale action sequences designed by internationally acclaimed stunt teams. The film also relies heavily on visual effects, with the VFX work being handled by Shah Rukh Khan's production house, Red Chillies Entertainment.
A source quoted by the portal said the film evolved into a much larger project than initially planned.
"Shah Rukh Khan always believes in delivering an uncompromised product to the audience. King started-off as an action thriller, but the ambition of SRK and Sid have made it a tentpole action thriller, with some of the biggest action sequences that the audience will get to witness on the spectacle," the source said.
The report further claimed that King has been mounted on a budget of approximately Rs 450 crore, excluding print and publicity expenses as well as Shah Rukh's acting fee.
"All the money spent is to ensure an uncompromised cinematic experience to the audience. You will see every penny spent by the makers on the screen, as it's a new Shah Rukh Khan experience," the source added.
If the reported figures are accurate, King will overtake Jawan, which was reportedly made on a budget of around Rs 400 crore, while Pathaan was estimated to have cost approximately Rs 350 crore.
Siddharth Anand reacts
Soon after the report surfaced, director Siddharth Anand took to his official X account and wrote, "False." While he did not exactly mention what he was talking about, netizens and SRK fans are convinced it is about King's reported budget.
King is among the most anticipated Bollywood releases and is expected to hit theatres after the completion of its post-production work. Reportedly, the film will also star Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Raghav Juyal, Arshad Warsi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Suhana Khan and others.
