British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has fueled speculation of a collaboration with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. In a recent behind-the-scenes video for his new single “Sapphire”, Ed Sheeran mentioned that he had recorded a Hindi track for a future Bollywood project. Fans speculate it may be for Siddharth Anand’s highly anticipated action-thriller film, King.
The video, shared on Ed Sheeran’s Instagram, showed him rehearsing the Punjabi lyrics with Arijit Singh. Below it, Ed Sheeran shared, “The Hindi song was for a Bollywood movie that Shah Rukh Khan is going to do. This is the Punjabi version of ‘Sapphire’ with Arijit”.
This casual comment caused fans on social media to theorise that Ed Sheeran’s potentially involvement with the soundtrack of King. The movie will reportedly star Shah Rukh Khan, his daughter Suhana Khan, and a cast that includes well-known names such as Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff.
There was also footage of Ed Sheeran spotted in the studio with Siddharth Anand, adding more credence to the theory. But, there still has been no confirmation from either the film’s producers or Ed Sheeran’s management that he is contributing to King.
Nonetheless, while there has been limited information about this supposed Hindi track—what it is called, when it would be released, its relationship to King—the prospect of this east-meets-west collaboration has certainly created a significant amount of buzz globally.
With Sheeran’s huge fanbase in India, bolstered by his recent concert tour, the decision could be seen as a strategy to appease Indian and international audiences. The inclusion of Arijit Singh, a primary Bollywood voice, takes an already high expectation to another level for a song that could certainly make a splash across charts globally.
If confirmed, this would be Ed Sheeran’s debut in Hindi cinema. There have been many foreign and international names, such as Snoop Dogg and Akon, that have had opportunities to work in Bollywood, but Ed Sheeran’s contribution has fans jumping with joy.
