Shah Rukh Khan went out of the way to get Deepika Padukone on board for King; Check details

There were strong rumours earlier that Deepika Padukone would be the leading lady opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Siddharth Anand's directorial King. There were quite a few twists and turns, as leading entertainment portals almost confirmed Deepika as the leading lady for the King, but Sid refused a few times. However, now finally, it has been confirmed that Deeps is indeed collaborating with the Bollywood Badshah for King.

But why did it take Shah Rukh Khan and Siddharth Anand so long to finalize Deepika Padukone as the leading lady?

Deepika Padukone was always the first choice for King

Deepika and SRK share a perfect bond. Also, Shah Rukh is known to repeat the co-star or director with whom he has delivered successful movies. The last two big hits of SRK- Pathaan and Jawan had Deepika Padukone in important roles. And that is why he was keen on getting her on board for King.

A leading Bollywood portal said, “Shah Rukh Khan had bestowed the responsibility of casting Deepika Padukone to his director, Siddharth Anand. However, Deepika wasn't sure to come on board the film, as she is presently focusing on her personal life and spending time with the newborn. She politely refused the offer, and then Siddharth Anand reached out to Katrina Kaif, who is also on a break, and said no to the part.”

At that time SRK thought to get back to his old co-star Preity Zinta whereas Siddharth Anand suggested the name of Sonam Bajwa. But the Bollywood superstar was still keen to rope in Deepika Padukone for King and decided to talk to her himself and see if any change in dates could make her change her mind.

When Deeps laid down the condition that she is open to working in October/November SRK rescheduled the shooting of King so that they could ensure Deepika became a part of this movie. Secondly, earlier the role of Deepika was just a cameo but since the actress was interested in a full-fledged heroine character Shah Rukh Khan generously agreed to make changes in the script so that Deeps character gets more space on the screen.

For SRK, King is a very important movie as it is the Bollywood launch vehicle for his daughter Suhana Khan. He considers Deeps as his lucky mascot and hence went out of his way to ensure that she becomes a part of King.