Mumbai — Exactly sixty years after he was born on November 2, 1965, Shah Rukh Khan sent the internet into meltdown as he unveiled the explosive first look of his upcoming film King at precisely 2:11 PM — a number matching his birth date, 2/11. The post, dropped on his social media handles, instantly broke the internet. A blood-smeared, silver-haired SRK glared into the camera with ear-cuffs glinting, cigar glowing, and eyes burning with intensity. The caption beneath read, “Darr nahi, Dehshat hoon – #KING,” and within minutes, timelines across the world lit up with awe and frenzy.
Within 79 minutes, the post had crossed 10 million views. By the 90-minute mark, #KING dominated global trending lists from Tokyo to Times Square. In less than two hours, film trade circles were already buzzing, with bookies slashing odds on 2026’s biggest box office opener from 3:1 to 1:2.
The 71-second title-reveal teaser, shot vertically for mobile screens, is trademark Siddharth Anand adrenaline. It opens with a drone swooping over a burning island fortress, followed by SRK flipping the King of Hearts playing card into a razor-sharp blade. Anirudh Ravichander’s bass drop hits like an explosion as SRK’s deep baritone takes over: “Kitne khoon kiye? Yaad nahi. Acche the ya bure? Pucha nahi. Bas unki aankhon mein ek ehsaas dekha – yeh unki aakhri saans hai… aur main uski wajah.” The teaser cuts to black, leaving what fans call “1.4 billion goosebumps” across screens.
Directed by Siddharth Anand of Pathaan and War fame, King stars Shah Rukh Khan alongside his daughter Suhana Khan, who makes her big-screen debut. The cast also features Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Jaideep Ahlawat and Raghav Juyal. Produced jointly by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures, the high-octane action-thriller is expected to release on Eid 2026. Early buzz from the trade describes it as “John Wick meets Don in one man,” setting expectations sky-high.
Fans celebrated the superstar’s 60th birthday like a national festival. Outside his Bandra residence, Mannat, thousands of admirers formed an eight-kilometre-long human chain, lighting over 3,000 diyas spelling out “KING KHAN.” On X (formerly Twitter), over 4.2 million posts surfaced within an hour, while Instagram Reels trended with “Dehshat Hoon” tattoos and fan edits. At 8 PM, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa lit up with SRK’s silver-maned silhouette, while Mumbai college groups rechristened themselves “Sau Desh Ki Dehshat.”
In a heartfelt birthday message, Shah Rukh thanked his fans, writing, “Thank you for making me the King of your hearts. Ab dil se dil tak sirf #KING. See you in 2026 – tab tak… romance thoda rest kar le, action jag raha hai. Love you all. Spread dehshat, not darr.” His post further fueled excitement among fans awaiting his late-night appearance.
Industry reactions poured in almost instantly. Deepika Padukone shared the teaser on her story, calling it “Goosebumps on goosebumps.” Akshay Kumar tweeted, “Badshah ne badla rules of the game. Happy birthday, terror!” Karan Johar added, “The King has roared. Box office, hide.” Trade analyst Taran Adarsh predicted unprecedented numbers, claiming ₹600 crore India nett and over ₹1,500 crore global collection are “locked” even before the trailer’s release.
Sources suggest that Shah Rukh will greet fans outside Mannat at 11:59 PM, possibly joined by Suhana Khan in matching silver streaks, as drones perform a 360-degree light show synced to Anirudh’s theme from King. With one frame, one line, and one post, SRK has once again shown why he remains the undisputed monarch of Indian cinema. The year 2026, it seems, has already been crowned.
