Shah Rukh Khan does not need a long speech to set social media talking. On Tuesday, October 27, a single poster did the job. The actor shared a new look from King, and within hours the image was everywhere, passed around by fans, film pages and trade watchers who have been waiting for the Christmas release.
The poster is deliberately simple and deliberately loud. Shah Rukh Khan stands with a rose tucked between his lips, a gun in his hand and an intense, unsmiling gaze fixed on the camera. His hair looks grey, his face looks bloodied, and flames and wreckage fill the frame behind him. It is violent and romantic at the same time, and that contrast is clearly the point.
His caption said it in his own words. Sharing the poster on social media, Shah Rukh Khan wrote, “Aaj phir yaad aaya… Qaatil nahi Aashiq hoon”, which means, “Remembered again today, I am not a killer, I am a lover.” He added the hashtag #KING and the release date, “In cinemas 24.12.26.” The line is also a nod to his famous lyric from Badshaah (1999), a connection fans picked up on immediately.
What the new poster actually shows
Reports describing the poster agree on the main details, even if each outlet noticed something slightly different first. Mid-day highlighted the rose and the intense gaze. Bollywood Hungama noted the rose and the bloodied face. Other reports pointed to the gun, the grey hair, the leathery outfit and the destroyed cargo plane in flames behind him.
The picture tells a small story without giving away the plot. It hints at scale and violence, but it does not explain who the character is or what he wants.
The poster also arrived with a new theme tune titled “King Is Back”. The songs for King have been composed by Sachin-Jigar, while Anirudh Ravichandran has created the background score.
A release date Shah Rukh Khan is holding firm
The other message in Tuesday’s post was about timing. King is set to release in theatres worldwide on December 24, 2026, on Christmas Eve. Shah Rukh Khan has now restated that date in public, at a time when questions were being asked about whether the film might move because of stiff competition around it.
Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three are both slated for December 18, a week before King. That crowded Christmas window has led to plenty of speculation. The new poster, with its clear “24.12.26” message, reads as a direct answer: the film is on schedule.
During a recent #AskSRK session on X, Shah Rukh Khan had already insisted the film was on track. Tuesday’s poster makes the same point more seriously. The date has not changed.
Who is making King, and who stars in it
King is directed by Siddharth Anand, in his second film with Shah Rukh Khan after the blockbuster Pathaan. It is produced by Gauri Khan, Siddharth Anand and Mamta Anand through Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures.
The cast is one of the film’s biggest talking points. Alongside Shah Rukh Khan, the film features Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Rani Mukerji, Arshad Warsi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal and Abhay Verma. It also marks his first on-screen collaboration with his daughter Suhana Khan.
The build-up so far
The new poster follows a teaser that showed Shah Rukh Khan with salt-and-pepper hair, a bloodied lip and a King of Spades card gripped in his teeth. That clip ended with “Picture abhi baaki hai” and the tagline “King Akela Kaafi Hai”, meaning the King alone is enough.
Reports have also suggested a special King promo could play alongside Ramayana in theatres, and a teaser could arrive around Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday on November 2. Those plans are reported, not formally confirmed, so fans must wait for an official announcement.
Why this poster has landed so well
Part of the appeal is the contrast itself. A gun in one hand and a rose between the lips is an old star image, updated for a new film. The character may look dangerous, but the line insists he is a lover, not a killer.
With less than two months to go until December 24, a poster is easy to forward and easy to argue about. That is exactly what happened on Tuesday, as the image spread across Instagram, X and fan groups within hours.
FAQs
When does King release in theatres?
King is scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on December 24, 2026. Shah Rukh Khan restated the date, “24.12.26”, in his caption when he shared the new poster on October 27.
Who directs King?
King is directed by Siddharth Anand. It is his second film with Shah Rukh Khan after Pathaan. The film is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures.
What does Shah Rukh Khan’s King poster caption mean?
His caption, “Aaj phir yaad aaya… Qaatil nahi Aashiq hoon”, means “Remembered again today, I am not a killer, I am a lover.” It is a nod to his famous lyric from Badshaah (1999).
Who stars in King alongside Shah Rukh Khan?
The cast includes Deepika Padukone, Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Rani Mukerji, Arshad Warsi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal and Abhay Verma.
What does the new King poster show?
The poster shows Shah Rukh Khan with a rose between his lips, a gun in his hand, grey hair and a bloodied face, standing in front of flames and wreckage. It mixes action and romance in a single image.
More updates on King, including the teaser and music, are expected as the December 24 release approaches. For now, one poster and one line have been enough to put the film back at the centre of the conversation.
