Deepika Padukone’s saffron outfit in ‘Tu Mil Jaaye’, the first song released from Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film ‘King’, has revived social-media comparisons with ‘Besharam Rang’ from the 2023 film ‘Pathaan’.
The romantic track, sung by Arijit Singh and Ed Sheeran, was released at midnight on Shah Rukh Khan’s 61st birthday. Users online highlighted what they saw as similarities between the two songs’ colour palette, backdrops and the on-screen looks of Shah Rukh and Deepika. One user sharing a screenshot of Padukone’s look wrote, “they’re lowkey so funny for this”, while another asked, “Wait... did Shah Rukh Khan just troll someone (sic)?”
Some users speculated that director Siddharth Anand, who directed both ‘King’ and ‘Pathaan’, may have been making a playful reference to the earlier row. An Instagram reel described the choice as SRK doing it “dirty to ‘those bhakts’ (sic)”, while an X post read, “Deepika is back in saffron #KING (sic).”
Padukone’s saffron bikini in ‘Besharam Rang’ had triggered objections before ‘Pathaan’ was released. Several religious groups objected to the use of a colour they consider sacred in Hinduism in a song titled ‘Besharam Rang’, while critics alleged that it hurt Hindu religious sentiments. Madhya Pradesh’s then Home Minister Narottam Mishra called the outfit vulgar, sought changes to the song and warned of a statewide ban; the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other groups also objected.
Anand later said the colour had been chosen randomly for the song’s sunny setting and there was no bad intent. The Central Board of Film Certification subsequently suggested changes to ‘Pathaan’, including to the song’s visuals.
‘King’ marks the big-screen debut of Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter, Suhana Khan. Its cast includes Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal, Saurabh Shukla, Abhay Verma and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film is scheduled to reach theatres on December 24.
