A friendship between two global music and film stars has found a new expression in Bollywood, with Shah Rukh Khan publicly thanking Ed Sheeran for contributing to his upcoming film ‘King’.
The actor shared the British singer’s behind-the-scenes recording video on Instagram Stories and posted a warm message praising his work, particularly his Hindi vocals.
“Can’t thank u enough my friend for doing the song, especially the Hindi bits. Love u @teddyphotos,” Shah Rukh wrote.
Sheeran had earlier shared footage of himself recording ‘Tu Mil Jaaye’, the first song released from ‘King’. The singer also explained how his friendship with Shah Rukh eventually led to the collaboration.
Recalling their first meeting, Sheeran said the Bollywood superstar had encouraged him to create a song for one of his films, which would also mark his debut in Hindi cinema.
The singer said their friendship developed over the years. During his most recent visit to India, he went to Shah Rukh’s Mumbai residence, Mannat, to shoot a cameo for the music video of ‘Sapphire’, his 2025 collaboration with Arijit Singh.
Shah Rukh introduced him to music composer duo Sachin-Jigar during the visit. Sheeran revealed that he wrote and recorded his part for ‘Tu Mil Jaaye’ that very night.
He also expressed excitement about sharing the track with Arijit, describing the collaboration as a project that brought together people he admired.
‘Tu Mil Jaaye’ features vocals by Sheeran, Arijit Singh and Madhubanti Bagchi, with Sheeran also contributing an English rap. Sachin-Jigar composed the music, while Kumaar wrote the lyrics.
Released on 2 November to coincide with Shah Rukh’s 61st birthday, the romantic track features Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone. The video shows the pair sharing intimate moments during trips, beach outings and visits to cafes.
The song marks Sheeran’s first contribution to a Bollywood film. He and Arijit previously worked together on ‘Sapphire’.
Directed by Siddharth Anand, ‘King’ also stars Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi and Raghav Juyal. Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor Khan are set to make special appearances.
Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures, the action entertainer is scheduled to reach cinemas on 24 December 2026.
