The excitement surrounding Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday is beginning to build across the country. With the Bollywood superstar set to turn 61 on Monday, November 2, fans, well-wishers and his team are gearing up to celebrate the occasion in a grand way. The celebrations come at a particularly exciting time for the actor, with less than nine weeks remaining for the worldwide release of his upcoming film, director Siddharth Anand’s ‘King’ (2026).Adding to the birthday buzz, Shah Rukh recently made a late-night visit to catch a special tribute dedicated to ‘King’ in Mumbai. The actor stepped out for a drive to see the massive film-themed display installed along the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Sharing pictures of the installation on X (formerly Twitter), he thanked Google Gemini for the gesture, writing, “Dost ho toh Google Gemini jaisa (A friend should be like Google Gemini). Thank you for the KING-sized love always. I had to sneak out for a drive to get this photo, ha ha.”Meanwhile, speculation is rife that the makers of ‘King’ are planning to release a special teaser on Shah Rukh’s birthday. Videos and photographs of a massive screen being installed outside his residence, Mannat, have further fuelled the buzz, with fans wondering whether the teaser will be unveiled and screened there. However, reports suggest that the actor will once again not make his customary balcony appearance to greet fans, continuing a trend from the past two years.The film’s director, Siddharth Anand, has also been adding to the anticipation. Since Thursday, October 29, he has been posting cryptic phrases on X, one each day, which appear to be part of a larger sentence. The final post is expected on Monday. So far, his posts have read, “It’s time for the world to celebrate the King of…”The birthday celebrations are not limited to Mumbai, with fans travelling from different parts of the country to be near Mannat for the occasion. Shah Rukh’s fan association in Pune, Maharashtra, has also announced plans to organise what it describes as the biggest first-day-first-show (FDFS) celebration for ‘King’ in the city. Other chapters of the fan organisation are similarly stepping up promotional activities for the action thriller.Apart from Shah Rukh, ‘King’ features Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji and Jaideep Ahlawat in key roles. The film is scheduled to arrive in theatres on December 24, where it will face a major box-office clash with the Russo Brothers’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth.
