Shah Rukh Khan Personally Called Aditya Chopra Before Moving King’s Overseas Rights to Phars Films

Shah Rukh Khan personally called Aditya Chopra before moving King’s overseas distribution away from Yash Raj Films, according to a Bollywood Hungama scoop published on November 1. Phars Films has acquired the international distribution rights to King, a film Yash Raj Films was originally expected to distribute abroad. Before the deal went ahead, Khan is reported to have spoken directly to the YRF head to explain the decision. The report says the conversation was warm and straightforward. Khan and Chopra share a bond going back to Chopra’s directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in 1995, which Khan headlined, and to Khan’s long association with Chopra’s father, the late Yash Chopra. A source from Khan’s team told Bollywood Hungama that Chopra completely understood Khan’s point of view, readily agreed to part with King’s overseas rights, wished him all the best, and said he was eagerly looking forward to watching the film this Christmas.

King, directed by Siddharth Anand, is slated for a worldwide theatrical release on December 24, 2026, and is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment in association with Marflix Pictures. Alongside Khan, the film stars Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaideep Ahlawat and Anil Kapoor, with Suhana Khan in her theatrical debut. The same scoop notes that T-Series has secured the exclusive global commercial music rights to King for 50 years. Meanwhile, Anand’s cryptic late-night posts on X — reading, in sequence, ‘Remember. It’s Time For The World To Celebrate The KING of…’ — have built anticipation for the film’s first promotional asset, expected around Khan’s birthday on November 2.

Here is the Filmverse take: the phone call is the real story here, not just the distribution switch. In an industry where rights deals usually move through lawyers and trade announcements, a star personally calling the head of the studio that launched his biggest romance to explain a business decision says something about how Khan runs his career — relationships first, paperwork second. For King, the move also signals how much is riding on the overseas market: with a Christmas release and a global music deal already in place, the film is being positioned as an international event, not just a domestic one.

Read our earlier report on the November 2 birthday reveal here: https://filmverse.in/king-teaser-launch-november-2-srk-birthday/

Sources: Bollywood Hungama, Box Office Worldwide.