Ahead of King's December release, Abhishek Bachchan told BBC Asian Network that Shah Rukh Khan has taken personal responsibility for his career for years, starting with cricket Sundays at Aditya Chopra's house.
Abhishek Bachchan has gone on record about just how much he owes Shah Rukh Khan, and it goes back decades before the two ever shared a frame.
Speaking to BBC Asian Network ahead of King, Abhishek said Khan has "literally taken personal responsibility" for his career "several times now, including in King as well." That's not a small claim from an actor who's been in the business for over two decades and worked with most of Hindi cinema's big names.
The story goes back to Sundays before Abhishek had even debuted as an actor. He, Uday Chopra, Hrithik Roshan and Sikandar Kher would play cricket at filmmaker Aditya Chopra's house, and Khan would often show up and join in. "Shah Rukh has always been like an elder brother," Abhishek said. "You know, he's somebody I have immense love and respect for." After the games, the group would sit around and talk, four actors who hadn't made it yet, trading notes with a star who already had.
One of those conversations stuck. Abhishek asked Khan, back then, which of his films was his favourite. Khan's answer has apparently stayed with him ever since: "My favourite film is the film I'm doing right now. Because if that isn't my favourite, then why am I doing it?" He added that whatever came before is the past, and he doesn't dwell on it, right now it's King.
Abhishek said he's carried that logic into his own approach, calling King his favourite film at the moment, for exactly the reason Khan laid out years ago.
The film itself is shaping up to be one of the year's biggest bets. Directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Gauri Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment with Siddharth and Mamta Anand's Marflix Pictures, King is an action thriller that marks Suhana Khan's theatrical debut. She plays a young protege trained by Khan's veteran assassin, a premise that's drawn plenty of attention given the father-daughter dynamic playing out on screen as well.
The cast around them is stacked. Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Jaideep Ahlawat, Abhay Verma, Anil Kapoor, Raghav Juyal, Jackie Shroff and Arshad Warsi all feature, per different reports on the film's lineup. There's also been chatter, per recent reports, that Kareena Kapoor Khan might show up for a dance number alongside Khan, though that hasn't been confirmed by the makers.
King is set for a worldwide theatrical release on December 24. Abhishek was last seen in Kaalidhar Laapata on ZEE5, directed by Madhumita, and King will put him back opposite Khan on the big screen after a gap that his own comments suggest has never really felt like one, given how involved Khan has stayed in his career off-screen.
Whether that bond translates into box office numbers come Christmas is the next question the film has to answer.
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