King: Abhishek Bachchan was surprised when he was offered villain's role opposite Shah Rukh Khan

Abhishek Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan Pic/AFP, Instagram

Producer Siddharth Anand has reportedly roped in Abhishek Bachchan to play the antagonist in 'King' directed by Sujoy Ghosh. The filmmaker promises to bring Abhishek Bachchan in a never-seen-before avatar, and if sources are to be trusted, fans can expect a massive face-off between Abhishek's character and Shah Rukh Khan, who plays a mafia.

Rumour has it that the film is inspired by the English language French production, ‘Leon: The Professional' (1994). The original film revolves around a professional hitman who reluctantly takes in a twelve-year-old after her family is murdered by a corrupt official. The two form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns to be like him.

"Abhishek is an actor whose full potential has yet to be fully realized. He has the ability to astonish audiences when given complex roles. King presents him in an out-and-out negative role for the first time in such a large-scale commercial movie, and he is sure to make a significant impact with his performance. Jr. Bachchan was surprised when he was offered this role but accepted it immediately, intrigued by the depth of his character. It's a special role, and Siddharth Anand has grand plans to present Abhishek in a manner audiences have never seen before," a source close to the development told Peeping Moon.

The movie marks the big-screen debut of Suhana Khan, who forayed into the movies with Zoya Akhtar's The Archies (2023). She plays the parallel lead with her superstar father in the film that reportedly underwent a rewrite over the last few months. The last time Abhishek collaborated with SRK and Sujoy was on their joint production venture, Bob Biswas (2021), which was directed by the latter's daughter, Diya Ghosh.

While 'King' marks Siddharth Anand's second collaboration with SRK after 'Pathaan', the film will be the producer-director's first full-fledged collaboration with Abhishek. 'King', which will also see SRK and Suhana Khan for the first time together, is currently in pre-production. The makers are targeting a late 2025 or early 2026 release. Siddharth is co-producing this film under his Marflix banner along with SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment.