Khan-tastic start to the next year

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 20, 2023)

It will be a busy December at the Khan household as Shah Rukh Khan gears up for Dunki’s release, his daughter Suhana Khan makes her acting debut with The Archies, and son Aryan Khan takes his maiden directorial venture to its last leg. The new year will certainly begin on a special note for the superstar and his actor-daughter as they face the camera together.

Earlier, the duo were to kick off the shoot of their yet-untitled next, to be helmed by Sujoy Ghosh, in October. But now, mid-day has learnt that the Siddharth Anand-backed spy thriller will go on floors by January-end or February 2024.

What exactly caused the change? Several factors, we hear. A source reveals, “Initially, Sujoy’s plan was to take the film on floors right after the late September release of Jaane Jaan. But the script required some more finishing touches, with the writing team perfecting every beat. They are aware of the high expectations around the movie, since it sees the superstar share screen space with his daughter for the first time. Shah Rukh and Suhana too have been tied up with promotions of their respective films. By December-end, the two will start the table reads, and the film will roll latest by February.”

The first leg will be shot in Mumbai.