Shah Rukh Khan channels his inner deadly romantic in new ‘King’ poster, complete with guns and roses

Dubai: Who says romance is dead? Certainly not Shah Rukh Khan, who seems determined to prove that you can be a gun-toting assassin and a hopeless romantic at the same time.

The Bollywood superstar unveiled a striking new poster from his much-anticipated action thriller King on Tuesday, October 27, giving fans another glimpse of his rugged, dangerous avatar.

Dressed in a fitted leather trench coat, plunging black shirt, with a gun in his hand and a thorny rose stem clenched between his teeth, Khan strides towards the camera against a fiery backdrop. Think guns, roses and a generous helping of Bollywood swagger.

The accompanying caption only adds to the intrigue.

“Aaj phir yaad aaya... Qaatil nahi… Aashiq hoon…” (Today I remembered again… I'm not a killer, I'm a lover), reads the post.

It's a cheeky reminder that even when Khan is playing a potentially lethal character, his romantic hero persona is never too far away.

Directed by Siddharth Anand, King marks the filmmaker's reunion with Khan following their 2023 blockbuster Pathaan, which cemented the actor's spectacular return to action cinema.

The film also stars his daughter Suhana Khan, alongside Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan in pivotal roles. Jaideep Ahlawat, Abhay Verma and Arshad Warsi round out the ensemble.

Based on a story by Sujoy Ghosh, who was initially attached to direct, the screenplay has been written by Anand, Ghosh, Suresh Nair and Sagar Pandya, with dialogues by Abbas Tyrewala.

Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures, King has already generated considerable buzz through its teaser and dialogue promo.

And judging by this latest poster, Khan isn't abandoning his romantic roots. He's simply giving them a dangerous makeover.