Shah Rukh Khan was up all night for King promo, came up with ‘only one King’ line 2 days before reveal
Rajeev Chudasama, whose agency designed the first-look poster and edited the King title reveal, opened up about how closely Shah Rukh Khan was involved in the process. He revealed that the entire team, including SRK, worked for two consecutive nights leading up to the star’s birthday to finalise the title reveal.
Aditya Chopra once famously told Shah Rukh Khan that his eyes “can’t be wasted on action.”Poetic and poignant, the remark seems especially true, until one glimpses the recently released poster of King, Khan’s highly anticipated actioner with Siddharth Anand. In it, those very eyes seem to speak volumes, transcending the confines of the genre itself. Rajeev Chudasama, founder of MA+TH Entertainment, a content marketing agency responsible for designing promotional assets for some of the industry’s leading films and shows, spoke exclusively to SCREEN about the thinking behind such an intimate first-look poster.
“I have had too many people coming up and telling me that they have loved the poster. The reason is very simple. Because usually we are used to seeing very overblown first-look imagery. Very overdone, almost starts looking like AI and unconvincing. And here the idea was simply that you have a superstar of this stature. So why should we really do too much with somebody who is already so big. It made our lives very easier in that sense. Earlier we were supposed to do something different, a much prolonged look but SRK injured his shoulder. So we changed our strategy and what better than his eyes doing all the talking?”
Chudasama added that several poster versions were designed using the same lens magnification, but they eventually went with the one he personally loved most: “I have to tell you one thing about that man (SRK) that not only he listens to you but also makes mental notes of what you are saying. So what came out was my favourite poster and on the day of the release I told him this too: ‘This to me is the poster.’ And he gives you that respect. He understands the value that you bring to the table.”
Chudasama’s team also handled the King title reveal, which was released alongside the poster on Khan’s 60th birthday last month. He revealed that SRK stayed awake all night with his team to perfect it on the edit table: “He came all the way down and sat with us and Sid, there was a very healthy discussion on how to go about the title reveal.” Ravi Dsilva, who is the business head at MA+TH entertainment, explained the strategy behind the title glimpse: “See, it was more of a title reveal and a look reveal than anything else. It’s too early to tell anything about the film as we are good one year away from it. And they just wanted to announce it on his birthday. So we can’t even call it a teaser, it was a pre-teaser.”
Cutting the title reveal, however, came with its own challenges. Nilesh Kataria, creative director and trailer specialist at the agency, elaborated: “We only had 2 days to cut it. And there was only so much footage you can use as they only shot 20% of the film. And there were a lot of discussions happening and then eventually we decided to play the entire reveal over a voiceover. That voiceover isn’t in the film. Sid and Shah Rukh wrote it there and then. And by the time all of it was locked, only three days were left for his birthday.”
He added that in the lead-up to the birthday, Anand tweeted one word at a time, which eventually formed a full sentence: “Remember there is only one king.” “That also was planned by all of us only and then he started tweeting,” Kataria noted. Following the title reveal, comparisons have been drawn to Atlee’s Jawan, particularly in terms of visuals and tonality. On this, Chudasama remarked: “There are going to be all kinds of narratives. Action, shot in a particular kind of way, lighting, colour grading, all these things would have triggered that comparison. But I don’t think so in reality there are similar at all.”
Anas Arif is a prolific Entertainment Journalist and Cinematic Analyst at The Indian Express, where he specializes in the intersection of Indian pop culture, auteur-driven cinema, and industrial ethics. His writing is defined by a deep-seated commitment to documenting the evolving landscape of Indian entertainment through the lens of critical theory and narrative authorship.
Experience & Career
As a core member of The Indian Express entertainment vertical, Anas has cultivated a unique beat that prioritizes the "craft behind the celebrity." He has interviewed a vast spectrum of industry veterans, from blockbuster directors like Vijay Krishna Acharya, Sujoy Ghosh, Maneesh Sharma to experimental filmmakers and screenwriters like Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Varun Grover, Rajat Kapoor amongst several others. His career is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, where he frequently tackles the ethical implications of mainstream cinema and the socio-political subtext within popular media. He is also the host of the YouTube series Cult Comebacks, where he talks to filmmakers about movies that may not have succeeded initially but have, over time, gained a cult following. The show aims to explore films as works of art, rather than merely commercial ventures designed to earn box office revenue.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Anas's expertise lies in his ability to deconstruct cinematic works beyond surface-level reviews. His focus areas include:
Auteur Studies: Detailed retrospectives and analyses of filmmakers such as Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, and Neeraj Ghaywan, often exploring their central philosophies and creative evolutions.
Cinematic Deconstruction: Examining technical and narrative choices, such as the use of aspect ratios in independent films (Sabar Bonda) or the structural rhythm of iconic soundtracks (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge).
Industrial & Social Ethics: Fearless critique of commercial blockbusters, particularly regarding the promotion of bigoted visions or the marginalization of communities in mainstream scripts.
Exclusive Long-form Interviews: Conducting high-level dialogues with actors and creators to uncover archival anecdotes and future-looking industry insights.
Authoritativeness & Trust
Anas Arif has established himself as a trusted voice by consistently moving away from standard PR-driven journalism. Whether he is interrogating the "mythology of Shah Rukh Khan" in modern sequels or providing a space for independent filmmakers to discuss the "arithmetic of karma," his work is rooted in objectivity and extensive research. Readers look to Anas for an educated viewpoint that treats entertainment not just as a commodity, but as a critical reflection of the country's collective conscience. ... Read More
