Shah Rukh Khan likely to delay King shoot amid ongoing India-Pakistan tensions

Suhana Khan with Shah Rukh Khan; (right) Siddharth Anand. Pics/Yogen Shah, Instagram

A wave of relief has washed over India after the country and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, after the past few days of conflict. The Indian film industry, which had postponed some of its activities, is also hopeful that things will resume normalcy in the weeks to come. Yet, there are talks within production houses about taking it slow with regard to their immediate projects. Among the biggest films readying to roll is Shah Rukh Khan's King, which sees him share screen space with his daughter and actor Suhana Khan.

Director Siddharth Anand was reportedly planning to call action on the thriller on May 16. A source says, "Despite the ceasefire, things remain sensitive and the situation is dynamic. So, everyone is wondering whether this would be a good time to take their projects on floors. The team of King has been working towards May 16, which is when they're expected to begin filming. But a slight delay won't be surprising as it would be preferable to go on set when the atmosphere is less tense."

Last week, as military tension escalated between India and Pakistan, Kamal Haasan and Aamir Khan postponed Thug Life's audio launch and Sitaare Zameen Par's trailer launch respectively. While there have been no incidents of shoots being cancelled, the talk is that some investors are contemplating pulling out of projects even as the ceasefire has de-escalated the situation. "The after-effects of the India-Pakistan conflict are being felt across the board. People aren't confident that releasing films right now would yield success. They are also considering waiting it out before setting up big projects. The industry is being cautious," adds the source.