November 2, the day when Shah Rukh Khan turned 60, was also the day when moviegoers got a treat in the form of a glimpse from his much-awaited film, King. This was followed by the launch of a poster, which was equally exciting. Its director, Siddharth Anand, was kind enough to thank the team behind these assets, that is, Marching Ants. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Rajeev Chudasama, the co-founder and chief creative director at Marching Ants, spoke about working on King’s campaign. The man has a huge and rich body of work and yet, he felt butterflies on his stomach while working on this film. He spoke about it and a lot more.
How has been the response to the poster and promo of King and how do you feel?
The first emotion is that of pride since we got associated with a film of Khan saab of this calibre and scale. At the same time, we also felt overwhelmed. Since we have been working on this film for a while, you lose the magnitude of the project. And the response you get from everywhere for it is when it hits you that you have just released two units of what is one of the biggest films of next year. So, I felt mixed emotions, all on the positive side, of course.
The way Siddharth Anand mentioned you and your team in a tweet is heartening…
(Smiles) I have been working with Sid since 2010. Anjaana Anjaani was our first film together after which we worked on Bang Bang (2014) and Fighter (2024). King is our fourth film together. The kind of trust he shows in me is overwhelming and sometimes, it's also scary. During the initial couple of rounds for King, he was still developing the whole thing. So, he would give me a one-line brief and ask, ‘What do you see? Show me’. He’s also a very hungry, creative person. If you sit with somebody who enhances your creative streak, you enjoy working even more. Sid is a friend and whenever we meet, we don’t talk about anything else but the film at hand.
In fact, Sid and Khan Saab both have this quality that they both are great listeners. I have been working with Khan Saab since Om Shanti Om (2007). That was our first film together, after which we designed the helmet-in-flame creative for his IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders. Hence, we both go back a long way, too. Often, youngsters in our office ask me how it is working with Khan Saab. I tell them, ‘That he is humble is known to everybody. But he’s also a great listener’. This is commendable, considering his position. Yet, he listens to everybody, not just me. So, it's very enriching working with Khan Saab.
How much time did it take to shoot the poster and what was the thought process behind it?
Khan Saab’s shoulder injury made us change our approach. We were going to shoot a campaign along with video assets. Then we had to relook. Thankfully, we have been working on the film for almost 6-8 months. So, we were sitting on a bank of 70-odd creatives. In short, we had an option for every occasion and we were prepared. Because of our preparation and work that has already been put in, we didn’t have to go out and reinvent the wheel. We just had to reshuffle the campaign.
Was it tough to cut the teaser of King? After all, the release is next year and hence, you need to excite the audience without showing too much…
Absolutely. Nilesh Kataria is also a part of the Marching Ants team. He is the most talented and has been with us for a very, very long time. A lot of thought process went into it and we also made several edits. We had to basically thank the fans for their patience. There was a lot of pressure from that front. Somewhere, they were expecting something to be launched on his birthday. At first, we thought of releasing one static image. Then we realized it won’t be sufficient and that we’ll have to put out a video asset. We came up with different edits in terms of the length. We were toying with whether it should be 30 seconds long or 45 seconds. Finally, we came to the conclusion that run time doesn’t matter.
So yes, the idea was to hold back for curiosity's sake for the next unit. And we did face a challenge on how much to give out, how much to show. In the case of King, everybody knows that it’s an action film. So, there was no suspense on that aspect. But the biggest trump card was Khan Saab’s look! In fact, I am getting a lot of messages saying ‘It’s your look’. I told them, ‘How can I give my look to Khan Saab?’ (laughs)!
Thank you guys!!! Thank you for the patience! And handling all my anxiety. Rajiv, Nirav - thank you so much.
Nilesh you genius for cutting the most amazing edit of the Title Reveal.
Keep it up guys cause our journey has begun #KING https://t.co/m0rG3vxIhN— Siddharth Anand (@justSidAnand) November 4, 2025
Nevertheless, this look is outstanding. He carries it like a glove; it suits him so much. Also, it complements where he is, his life journey, and the number of years in the industry. It has all fallen into place perfectly.
Any final thoughts?
I have worked on around 750 films. To get excited at this stage of my life and my career is very difficult. I don’t even remember the last time I had butterflies in my stomach before any shoot. This time, I got this feeling; I was also slightly nervous. When that happens, I realize that it’s a satisfying experience.
Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan confirms romance in King with Deepika Padukone; says “Pyaar toh zaroor hoga!”
More Pages: King Box Office Collection
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