Shah Rukh Khan: First National Award, Then King

Shah Rukh Khan's year has been defined by one honour already won and one film still to come. He received his first National Film Award, Best Actor for Jawan, and he returns to theatres on December 24, 2026 with King. This profile sets out what is confirmed about both.

The National Award

At the 71st National Film Awards, announced on August 1, 2025 for films of 2023, Shah Rukh Khan won Best Actor for Jawan. He shared the award with Vikrant Massey, who was honoured for 12th Fail. The cover photograph for this story is an official photograph from the awards ceremony. 12th Fail also won Best Feature Film at the same edition.

It was Khan's first National Award in a career that began in the early 1990s. A first win after so long was widely noted in the press, and it is a documented fact that the honour was shared.

The long gap

Khan released three films in 2023: Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki. He has had no theatrical release since Dunki. King is therefore his first release in nearly three years, and the long gap is part of why the film attracts so much attention.

King

According to Wikipedia, King is directed by Siddharth Anand, who co-wrote it with Sujoy Ghosh, Suresh Nair and Sagar Pandya. Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures produce it. Gauri Khan, Siddharth Anand and Mamta Anand are credited as producers.

Suhana Khan, Shah Rukh Khan's daughter, makes her theatrical debut in the film. The cast also includes Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Jaideep Ahlawat, Jackie Shroff, Raghav Juyal, Abhay Verma, Arshad Warsi and Saurabh Shukla. Sachin-Jigar composed the songs and Anirudh Ravichander is credited for the score.

The shoot and the date

Principal photography began in May 2025, with locations in Mumbai, Warsaw, Gdansk and Cape Town. On September 15, 2026, Khan said the release date would not change, even though Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three both open on December 18. He also said he had a few injuries during the shoot. We report that as his own remark and say no more about it.

The promo

A 45-second promo was certified by the Central Board of Film Certification on October 15, 2026. Whether it will be released publicly, and when, has not been announced. A teaser around his November 2 birthday has been reported as a possibility, but no official source has confirmed it.

The commercial context

By Koimoi's tables, the biggest Hindi film of 2026 so far is Dhurandhar The Revenge at ₹1186.32 crore India net, followed by Border 2 at ₹362.76 crore. King will be measured against those numbers, and no credible published projection exists. Trade estimates of any kind before release should be treated with caution.

What is not confirmed

The plot has not been officially described. Wikipedia says the film is reportedly inspired by Léon: The Professional, but the makers have not confirmed this. The budget and the overseas deal have been reported inconsistently, and we have not used those reports.

The bottom line

Shah Rukh Khan has a National Award, a confirmed December 24 release date, a full star cast and a certified 45-second promo. He does not yet have a public trailer. For a star who has had no release for three years, the next two months are the most closely watched stretch of his career in a long time.

Sources

*Cover photo: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shah_Rukh_Khan,_Best_Actor_for_Jawan.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shah_Rukh_Khan,_Best_Actor_for_Jawan.jpg)* (GODL-India).*