Shah Rukh Khan and Siddharth Anand’s King was already one of the most discussed films of 2026. Now, just as the team prepares a birthday-led marketing push, the film’s sound has changed hands.
What happened
Bollywood Hungama has learned that Anirudh has amicably left the project because his schedule is packed with commitments down South. The makers were clear about one thing: King must arrive in cinemas this Christmas without slipping. After a cordial discussion, both sides agreed that a film of this scale needed more time than Anirudh could give right now.
Sachin-Jigar have now been handed the album and the background score. That is a significant switch, but it comes with a respectful leave-behind.
Anirudh has given the Theme Track of King to Shah Rukh Khan as a mark of his respect for the megastar.
The source told Bollywood Hungama that Sachin-Jigar will reimagine that theme into the background score. In practical terms, King keeps Anirudh’s signature statement, while the wider score and album move to a new pair of hands.
What stays, what changes
- Theme track: stays Anirudh’s, reimagined by Sachin-Jigar.
- Album and background score: now Sachin-Jigar’s responsibility.
- Release window: Christmas 2026, with no delay on the table.
- Budget: estimated at Rs 450 crore, excluding SRK’s fees and P&A.
Why it matters for fans
Anirudh has earned a massive following for his electrifying background scores, so his exit was always going to land as mixed news. But the production has turned a potential last-minute problem into a continuity story: the film keeps his theme while moving the workload to Sachin-Jigar.
The stakes are not modest. The source puts the estimated cost, excluding Shah Rukh Khan’s fees and P&A, in the zone of Rs 450 crore. On that scale, the background score is not decoration; it is part of the spectacle the campaign will sell.
King is being pitched as the most ambitious action film of Hindi cinema, and Siddharth Anand has designed it as what insiders describe as a love letter to Shah Rukh Khan. The main question is not who is scoring King, but how Sachin-Jigar’s reimagining of Anirudh’s theme will carry the action set-pieces.
For now, the first checkpoint is the asset launch around Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday, which officially begins the campaign. That is when fans should get their first taste of the new sound.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
