The year gone by wasn't a particularly memorable one for Shah Rukh Khan fans as the 'King of Romance', who was last seen in the commercially-unsuccessful Zero, didn't have any releases. He refrained from announcing any projects much to the disappointment of 'SRKians'. Things may not be too different this year as well as Covid-19 restrictions have been put in place in several states in the wake of an increase in Omicron cases in the country. He has a few big projects in his kitty, however, which may help him re-emerge as Bollywood's 'Baadshah'. Based on what has been reported about SRK's upcoming movies so far, here is a look at his strategy to reclaim his throne.
Franchise magic
There's no denying the fact that the franchise has emerged as a success formula over the years. Hrithik Roshan, for example, consolidated his standing in the industry with the Krrish saga, which catered to the younger generation. Similarly, Salman Khan revitalised his career with the Dabangg films, which were set in the heartland. SRK is set to use this technique as he will be seen playing the titular character in Pathan, a part of Yash Raj Films' spy universe. The action-thriller is in safe hands as it is being directed by Siddharth Anand, who previously wielded the microphone for the 2019 blockbuster War. It stars Deepika Padukone as the female protagonist while John Abraham plays the antagonist.
Also read | 'Tiger 3' to 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2': What lies ahead for Salman Khan in 2022
A fresh collaboration
SRK scored one of the biggest hits of his career when he collaborated with Rohit Shetty for Chennai Express, an action-comedy about a North Indian man who falls in love with a Tamil don's daughter. He is set to revisit the 'masala' genre with Lion, which marks Tamil filmmaker Atlee's Bollywood debut. It is likely to feature 'King Khan' in a double role and have plenty of hero elevation scenes.
Mixing it up
The Dilwale actor has never really hesitated to experiment with his reel image. Zero, for example, was completely different from the 2016 release Dear Zindagi. The Aanand L Rai-helmed movie which was set in the Hindi heartland featured the actor in the role of a vertically-challenged person. Dear Zindagi, on the other hand, was an urban film and featured SRK in the role of a counselor. He is set to experiment with his image again as Pathan is as different from Lion as chalk from cheese. He will also be teaming up with ace filmmaker Rajkumar 'Raju' Hirani, who has a 100 per cent success record at the box office, for a social drama
Impressive cameos on the cards?
SRK is no stranger to powerful cameo appearances. He, for instance, left fans asking for more when he briefly appeared alongside Aishwarya Rai in Ae Dil Hain Mushkil. He hopes to apply this formula again to impress movie buffs. The star will be seen as 'Pathan' in Salman Khan's Tiger 3, the third installment of that franchise. He is also set to appear in the Hindi version of R Madhavan's magnum opus Rocketry.
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