Anirudh exits Shah Rukh Khan’s King; Sachin-Jigar take over music

Shah Rukh Khan’s King has changed its musical guard. Composer Anirudh is no longer scoring the film’s songs and background score; the duo Sachin-Jigar are now handling that job. The switch, first reported by Bollywood Hungama, is being described as a schedule-driven and amicable parting.

Why Anirudh stepped away

Anirudh’s packed calendar across southern projects made it difficult to give a big Christmas release the attention it needs. He is also set to marry Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO Kavya Maran in November, making the timing tighter than usual. With Shah Rukh Khan and director Siddharth Anand focused on keeping the December 24 worldwide release on track, the team decided to make the change rather than stretch the film’s music schedule.

What the new music team inherits

Sachin-Jigar will now compose the album and the background score. But Anirudh hasn’t left the project empty-handed: he has composed a theme for the film, which is expected to remain part of the sound. A source told Bollywood Hungama that Anirudh gave the theme “as a mark of his respect for the megastar,” and that Sachin-Jigar would reimagine it for the background score. So the film should still carry an Anirudh signature, while the main songs and score sit with Sachin-Jigar.

Why this matters for the music rollout

King has already begun its music push. On Shah Rukh’s birthday, November 2, the team released the first song, Tu Mil Jaaye, pairing him with Deepika Padukone. Sachin-Jigar composed the track, Arijit Singh and Madhubanti Bagchi sang it, and Ed Sheeran contributed an English rap. The early response has been mixed: the melody, vocals and the lead pair’s chemistry have found fans, while some listeners have called the sound familiar and drawn comparisons with earlier Siddharth Anand films, including Pathaan.

• The change: Anirudh exits over schedule; Sachin-Jigar take songs and score.
• The continuity: Anirudh’s theme track stays and may shape the background score.
• The deadline: King is due in cinemas worldwide on December 24.
• The first look: Tu Mil Jaaye is already out and has split opinion.

That makes this more than behind-the-scenes trivia. With mixed first reactions to the opening song and a tight holiday release date, Sachin-Jigar must now unify the album’s sound while honouring a theme built by another composer. The film also stars Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaideep Ahlawat and Raghav Juyal, and is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures.

Source: India Today