Siddharth Anand seemingly confirms Deepika Padukone as leading lady in Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan-starrer King

Even before its official announcement, King has become one of the most-awaited films in Hindi cinema as it reunites Shah Rukh Khan with Siddharth Anand after the 2023 blockbuster Pathaan. Earlier this month, there had been reports that Deepika Padukone will be seen playing Suhana Khan's mother in an extended cameo in the upcoming action entertainer. Siddharth, who has also helmed action thrillers like War and Fighter, had then took to his X (formerly Twitter) account and wrote, "False", hinting that the reports are baseless.

Now, on Tuesday, a new report came in stating that Deepika will be playing a full-fledged role in King, without revealing any other details of her role. A source was quoted telling Pinkvilla, "Shah Rukh Khan was always clear to have Deepika Padukone on board King. Initially, the dates were not matching as Deepika was taking time off to be with the newborn kid, and also hitting the gym to get back in shape. Due to a delay in schedules of King, the timelines aligned and she is back on board the film."

"After all the discussions, and setting the shoot timelines, everything has aligned well to have Deepika on board the film. She will be shooting for her role in the second half of 2025. It's a full-length role, and a lot more than just a cameo as reported before. Sid and his team of writers have crafted a perfect role for Deepika, that also stands true to the hype of her pairing with SRK", the source added, mentioning that King will go on floors on May 18 in Mumbai and is set to release in the last quarter of 2026.

After the report came out, the director took to his X account and wrote, "Ab true", seemingly confirming Deepika's role as the leading lady in King. It means that the actress will indeed be a part of the film, but won't play Suhana Khan's mother. King also stars Abhay Verma, Arshad Warsi, and Jaideep Ahlawat with Abhishek Bachchan as the main antagonist. The film's official announcement is expected to happen soon.

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