King: Did Siddharth Anand just confirm Deepika Padukone as leading lady in Shah Rukh Khan’s actioner? Here’s why we think so

Shah Rukh Khan and Siddharth Anand's collaboration for King has everyone's attention. While pre-production work on the action thriller is going on in full swing, Pinkvilla exclusively informed you that Deepika Padukone has come on board to play a key role in the film. Hours later, director Siddharth Anand shared a cryptic post that seemingly hinted at confirmation.

Moments after we informed you today, April 29, that Deepika Padukone has been roped in for a key role in King, director Siddharth Anand took to his X and shared a cryptic post. Keeping it short yet significant, he wrote, "Ab True."

Take a look

Notably, it was only earlier this month that there were reports which claimed that the Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani actress came on board for King to play Suhana Khan's mother and SRK's former lover in the film.

However, Anand shared a cryptic post on X in return and simply wrote, "False." This left many internet users believing that the director's note hinted at the false reports that surfaced online.

On the other hand, a source close to the development shared with us that Shah Rukh Khan always intended to have Deepika on board for King. However, the dates did not match initially as the actress was taking time off to be with her baby and hit the gym to get back in shape. The schedules of King were delayed, and the actress is back on board after the timelines aligned. 

"She will be shooting for her role in the second half of 2025. It's a full-length role, and a lot more than just a cameo as reported before. Sid and his team of writers have crafted a perfect role for Deepika, that also stands true to the hype of her pairing with SRK," the source further added.

Directed by Siddharth Anand, King boasts of a stellar star cast including Abhishek Bachchan, Abhay Verma, Suhana Khan, Arshad Warsi, and Jaideep Ahlawat in the key roles. The makers are planning to release the film in the last quarter of 2026, but the exact release date will be announced once the film goes on floors in the next month.

ALSO READ: Salman Khan says ‘Sanam hum aa gaye’ as he flaunts his chiseled body in latest pics from pool; fans say ‘aag laga di’