Ed Sheeran reveals how a visit to Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat led to his Bollywood debut in King

Ed Sheeran has lent his voice to Tu Mil Jaaye, a track from Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming action drama King, and the story behind it plays out like a friendly bargain between the two stars.

Sheeran had gone to Khan asking for a cameo. Khan agreed and then named his price.

On Tuesday, Sheeran pulled back the curtain with a behind-the-scenes clip on Instagram, showing him in the studio with Jigar Saraiya of composer duo Sachin-Jigar. In the caption, he told the story of how the collaboration came about:

“When I first met Shah Rukh, he said I must make a song to be in his next movie and also be my first Bollywood song. We’ve got to know each other over the years and i love him. Last time I was India I went to his house to get him to shoot a cameo in the Sapphire music video for me and @arijitsingh. He introduced me to @sachinjigar that day and i wrote and recorded my verse for Tu Mil Jaaye for his movie King that night. I love that Arijit is singing on it with me too, all my favourite people on one project. King is out December 24th and Tu Mil Jaaye is out everywhere now (sic)”

So one evening at Mannat produced two things: a cameo for “Sapphire,” Sheeran’s earlier hit with Arijit Singh, and a fresh verse for King, written and recorded the same night. Singh features on the new track as well, which makes it a reunion of sorts.

Khan, clearly pleased with the deal, reshared the video and gave Sheeran credit for tackling the Hindi lines: “Can’t thank u enough my friend for doing the song…especially the Hindi bits. Love u @teddysphotos (sic)”

Jigar joined in with some wordplay of his own: “AddictED to this EDition of Tu Mil Jaaye! #TuMilJaaye song out now! #KING is ready to ROAR in cinemas on 24.12.2026! (sic).”

The friendship goes back a few years. It started when Farah Khan threw a welcome party for Sheeran at her home, and his ties to Hindi music have grown since, first with “Sapphire” and now with a proper film soundtrack credit.

A birthday drop, with a nod from Salman

The song’s release date was chosen with care. “Tu Mil Jaaye” came out on November 2, Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday, and one of the first big names to cheer it on was Salman Khan. He posted the video to his Instagram stories with a birthday message: “Happy birthday Shahrukh. Hamesha Jawaan raho The King, yeh meri dua hai @iamsrk (sic).”

Shah Rukh replied with typical humour, saying Salman’s praise was what got him to the gym: “Aapne kaha bina shirt ke acchhi body hai, sirf isse liye mehnat ki. love you bhai always (You told me that my body looks great sans a shirt, and that’s the only reason, I worked so hard. Love you brother, always).”

What to expect from King

The film reunites Shah Rukh Khan with Deepika Padukone for the sixth time. Their earlier five films together, Om Shanti Om (2007), Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014), Pathaan (2023) and Jawan (2023), were all blockbusters. Abhishek Bachchan plays the main villain, and the cast also includes Arshad Warsi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal, Suhana Khan and Abhay Verma.

King opens in cinemas on December 24. Ed Sheeran’s first Bollywood song is already out.