King (2026): everything we know about Shah Rukh Khan’s Christmas release

After a three-year break from the big screen, Shah Rukh Khan returns in King, an action thriller due in cinemas on 24 December 2026. It is one of the most anticipated Indian films of the year. Here is what is known so far.

Release date and distribution

King will open on 24 December 2026, the Christmas holiday week. In India it is distributed by Pen Marudhar. In early November 2026 the international company Phars Film announced it would release the film across overseas markets on the same date.

The director

The film is directed by Siddharth Anand, who made Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster Pathaan (2023) and the action hits War (2019) and Fighter (2024). It is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, the company Khan runs with his wife Gauri Khan, together with Anand’s Marflix Pictures.

The cast

• Shah Rukh Khan leads the film.
• Suhana Khan, his daughter, has a major role. She made her acting debut in the streaming film The Archies (2023); King is her first big-screen release.
• Deepika Padukone, his co-star in Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express, Pathaan and Jawan, returns for a fifth film with him.
• Abhishek Bachchan plays a key role, and the cast also includes Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi and Rani Mukerji.
• In October 2026 reports said Kareena Kapoor Khan had filmed a special song appearance.

What the film is about

The makers have kept the story under wraps. Promotional material presents Khan as a hardened, stylish figure in a world of crime and revenge, and the film is described as a large-scale action thriller with international locations.

Budget

Media reports have given widely different budget figures, all placing King among the most expensive Hindi films ever made. The makers have not confirmed an official number.

Why it matters

Shah Rukh Khan’s last theatrical year, 2023, was the most successful of his career: Pathaan and Jawan were both among the highest-grossing Hindi films ever, and Dunki also did well. Jawan later won him his first National Film Award for Best Actor, which he received in September 2025, sharing the honour with Vikrant Massey.

King will test whether that success can be repeated after a long gap, and it marks the beginning of a new generation of the Khan family on screen.

A Christmas tradition

Christmas releases have a special history in Hindi cinema, from Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots (2009) to Dangal (2016). A Shah Rukh Khan release in the holiday week is likely to be one of the biggest box-office events of the season, both in India and in markets such as the Gulf, the United Kingdom and North America.

This article will be updated as official details are announced.