What do established filmmakers and production houses fear the most? Financial losses? Bad publicity? Ballooning budgets? Not quite. A footage leak, perhaps. But what the makers of Shah Rukh Khan’s King certainly didn’t see coming was an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated mini version of their film going viral online, stitched together from leaked visuals, paparazzi clips, and stills, just days after footage from the climax shoot surfaced on the internet. Now that’s the kind of nightmare no one in the industry was prepared for.
Deepika Padukone
The 15-minute fan-made video used AI tools to recreate transitions and claimed to offer audiences a “mini version” of director Siddharth Anand’s film before its release. According to insiders, both fans and the production team rapidly mass-reported the footage, leading to its removal from several platforms.
Leaked footage of (L) Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan
A source close to the production told mid-day, “The team was already upset after stills from the climax leaked. Before that, sequences from the Cape Town schedule went viral where Deepika and SRK shot a song. The line production team was extremely careful but when someone like SRK shoots in public, it’s impossible to trace the source of the leak. But the AI edit crossed a line because it attempted to recreate the narrative of the film.”
(L-R) Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone
The insider added that security around the current schedule near Ghodbunder Road, on the outskirts of Mumbai, has now tightened significantly. “This set in Mumbai is a busy area, so removing phone access won’t help much. But movement in the action portions and crucial scenes has become extremely restricted.”
Siddharth Anand
King is now nearing completion, with “nearly two months of shoot pending”. “King is in its final leg. A lot of patchwork, action inserts, and another schedule remains to be done, with VFX work going on simultaneously. The film is looking to wrap by July-end,” the source revealed.
Director Siddharth Anand’s appeal
“Please do not post or circulate any leaked multimedia from the sets of ‘King’. The team is working around the clock to ensure the best cinematic experience for everyone. Let us wait for the surprise on the big screen.”
