Ed Sheeran’s first Bollywood song was recorded in one night

Ed Sheeran’s Bollywood playback chapter starts with a favour. The singer-songwriter went to Shah Rukh Khan’s Mumbai home, Mannat, hoping to secure a cameo for a music video. He came away with a completed verse for the first song from King.

A quick visit became a recording session

The friendship already had roots. Shah Rukh and his family had hosted Sheeran at Mannat in March 2024, when the singer was in India. By the time Sheeran returned, a simple request could quickly turn into something bigger. He said Shah Rukh had earlier suggested they make a song for his next film and make it Sheeran’s first Bollywood track.

The plan clicked during Sheeran’s latest visit. He stopped by Mannat to ask Shah Rukh to appear in the “Sapphire” music video with Arijit Singh. That day, Shah Rukh introduced him to composers Sachin-Jigar. By that same night, Sheeran had written and recorded his English verse for “Tu Mil Jaaye.”

“I love that Arijit is singing on it with me too, all my favourite people on one project,” Sheeran wrote.

The sound and the screen

“Tu Mil Jaaye” brings Sheeran’s English rap together with Arijit Singh and Madhubanti Bagchi. Sachin-Jigar compose; Kumaar wrote the Hindi lyrics, while Sheeran wrote the English section. The music video arrived on Shah Rukh’s birthday and cuts between romance, action and drama, reuniting Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone on screen.

• Song: “Tu Mil Jaaye”
• Voices: Arijit Singh, Ed Sheeran and Madhubanti Bagchi
• Composers: Sachin-Jigar, lyrics by Kumaar
• Film: King, directed by Siddharth Anand
• Release: the song is out now; the film opens worldwide on December 24

Shah Rukh reshared Sheeran’s post and thanked him, adding that he especially appreciated the Hindi bits. That detail matters: the actor is not just applauding the guest verse but the effort to meet the language halfway.

Why the crossover matters

This is more than a guest feature. It places Sheeran inside a Bollywood soundtrack in the way playback works: his English verse sits within a larger Hindi film song, with Arijit Singh carrying the melody. For King, the track is an early mood-setter. The action beats and darker visual cues hint at a film that leans into Shah Rukh’s action avatar, with the star also lip-syncing to Sheeran’s rap.

For listeners, the immediate move is simple. Stream “Tu Mil Jaaye” now, then watch how Siddharth Anand uses it when King reaches cinemas on December 24.

Source: India Today