Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; September 16, 2018)

With Aanand L Rai’s Zero, Shah Rukh Khan is introducing a never-before-used VFX technique in Hindi cinema. The superstar plays a midget in the heartwarming story that travels from Meerut to New York.

To make sure work is perfect on the film, the Raees star is sitting with the team daily, checking out the edits. Says a source, “This is undoubtedly SRK’s most ambitious film till date and he wants it at par with international standards. The first half of Zero is edited and even the VFX is complete. King Khan and his team have loved what they have seen. They are also cutting a trailer, which will release on his birthday (November 2). He has shown a few rushes of the movie to his industry friends, too, who have liked it.”

Our source adds, “Shah Rukh wants to completely invest his time in the project till it releases this December. He has wrapped up most of his ad shoots and has also requested the makers of his next film Salute to push it ahead by a few months as right now, his focus is on Zero. He was supposed to kick-start the biopic on Rakesh Sharma around October, but now, it will go on floors next year.”

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; April 7, 2018)

With barely a month to go before Shah Rukh Khan wraps up the shoot of Aanand L Rai’s Zero, it is speculated that he will take on the Rakesh Sharma biopic, Salute, next. However, if insiders are to be believed, the superstar is in talks with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his next and is keen to kickstart the ambitious film before the space odyssey.

Reveals an insider, “Not many know that Shah Rukh and Bhansali have been in talks for long. During a recent meeting, the director narrated his script to him. It is a fictional love story with a period setting. While Shah Rukh has given his nod in principle, the project is facing a roadblock by way of its female lead. Though the names of a few leading ladies are being thrown around, Bhansali is yet to zero in on an actress.”

Khan’s fondness for the auteur is well known — the two had collaborated on the 2002 hit, Devdas. It was also reported that the superstar was one of Bhansali’s first choices for the role of Maharawal Ratan Singh in Padmaavat.

The source further indicates that Bhansali is gung-ho about the project and wants it to roll later this year. If the period drama indeed goes on floors, it is likely to throw a spanner in the progress of Salute. The biopic is said to require three months of extensive training on Khan’s part before he faces the camera to portray the first Indian astronaut in space. “By the look of things at the moment, SRK will finish Zero and start Bhansali’s film. Salute will start only in January next year,” adds the source.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; March 27, 2018)

When Farhan Akhtar decided to remake Don (1977) with Shah Rukh Khan, it looked like he visualised it as a franchise. It’s been over six years since Don 2: The Chase Continues (2006), and though the filmmaker had dropped major hints about Don 3 in the climax, there has been no development on that front since then. But now the project seems to have been set in motion!

SCRIPT LOCKED
Farhan has developed the script. Says a source, “He had bounced the idea off to SRK, who liked it. Farhan had taken a break from acting and channelised all his energy into developing the script for this film of the Don franchise. He has finally locked the script and things are moving in the right direction.”

DIRECTOR AND ACTOR
While Farhan has directed Don and Don 2, the next instalment will also have him starring in it. Reveals a source from the team, “Farhan will also act in this film. He will play a desi top cop to Shah Rukh’s Don. Since a portion of the film will be set in India, Farhan will be seen donning the policeman’s uniform in the film.” Previously, there were talks about him playing Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s role in Raees, but that didn’t materialise then.

NEW HEROINE
In the first two films of the series, Priyanka Chopra played Roma, the Interpol inspector, who is trying to arrest Don. But the new film won’t have PC. Says a source, “The storyline is such that it doesn’t need Priyanka’s character. It’s likely to have a new cast, which will be locked soon.”

ROLLING NEXT YEAR
While Farhan is busy giving finishing touches to the script, we hear he and SRK plan to bankroll the project mid-next year. Our khabri adds, “SRK will be finishing Salute and then get to this film straight away. It is likely to release in 2020.” We reached out to Farhan, but he chose not to comment.

DNA (March 22, 2018)

That Shah Rukh Khan is stepping into Aamir Khan’s shoes to play the role of astronaut Rakesh Sharma in Salute is known. Apparently, Aamir passed on the role to SRK because after Thugs Of Hindostan, he will get busy with his magnum opus, a period drama based on the Mahabharat. However, he was so impressed with the script of Salute that he wanted it to be made and thought SRK would be apt for the role. Now, we hear that SRK is also taking Aamir’s help before he gets into the project completely.

Says a source, “King Khan has asked Aamir to help him out with the research he did for the film when he was supposed to do it. Knowing what a perfectionist Aamir is, he must have done detailed research and SRK will only benefit from that.” Now, that’s some Khan bonding for you.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; February 18, 2018)

After Hrs was the first to report that following Aamir Khan’s decision to step out of Salute, Shah Rukh Khan was likely to take up the film. The makers (Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur) had approached King Khan for the biopic, which is based on the life of Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut to go to space. At a recent event, SRK said, “I haven’t signed a film yet. I really want to live with Zero because it’s a little tedious... I have been meeting Siddharth and Ronnie. I have met a lot of other directors and producers because I have to. But I haven’t confirmed anything yet…”

However, now the superstar has apparently given his nod to Salute. He has locked his dates for the movie, which is being helmed by ad filmmaker-turned-director Mahesh Mathai. Says a source, “SRK wants to start shooting in September and continue for two months before he starts promoting Zero, which releases on Christmas. After that, he will resume Salute’s shoot from January 2019. The film is expected to release next year.”

ABOUT RAKESH SHARMA
Rakesh Sharma, who joined the Indian Air Force in 1970, flew on board the Soyuz T-11 with two Soviet cosmonauts in 1984 and landed on space station Salyut 7. When the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked him how India looked from outer space, he had said, “Saare Jahan Se Acha.” The Republic Of India had conferred its highest peacetime gallantry award — the Ashoka Chakra — on the astronaut.

REAL TO REEL
Though Salute will be SRK’s first biopic, he has depicted characters based on real people before, too. He played the coach of the Indian national women’s hockey team in Chak De! India. His character was loosely modelled on hockey player Mir Ranjan Negi.

Last year, the actor was seen in Raees, which was reportedly based on Gujarat-based bootlegger Abdul Latif’s life.

Meena Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 13, 2017)

When Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who is currently in Thailand shooting for Thugs of Hindostan, exited Salute (the biopic based on Indian astronaut, Rakesh Sharma), the news took many by surprise. Then came a vital piece of information. He reportedly told some concerned party that one of the reasons for his exit is that he wanted to busy himself over the next decade with a franchise that had piqued his interest. He also indicated to people close to him that he would be directing and acting in that franchise. Ever since this news broke, the trade has been in a tizzy. A section of the media, too, has been trying to do their own research.

On his birthday this year on March 14, the actor, who met the media for an informal chat, indicated that an epic had deeply interested him.

Now that the news of him busying himself with a franchise is back in the forefront, trade pundits have jumped to the conclusion that AK could be toying with the idea of making that same epic for celluloid. For the record, everything mentioned here is conjecture. But when an actor-filmmaker of Aamir’s stature (who has the best box office record in Bollywood) says he wants to dedicate 10 years at the peak of his career to something this big, it definitely prompts people to ponder.

DNA (December 10, 2017)

After Hrs recently reported on Aamir Khan exiting Salute, the biopic being made on Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut to go to space. Soon after, an insider told us that another big name was being finalised for the film. And though the names of Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh were doing the rounds, trade circles say that in all probability it will be Shah Rukh Khan, who will reportedly play the astronaut. Must say, this project just got super-hot again.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; October 10, 2017)

It’s final. Priyanka Chopra will be seen playing astronaut Kalpana Chawla, and while she will also be a part of the biopic on astronaut Rakesh Sharma’s life, she will not be playing his wife. So, where did the stories of Priyanka playing Rakesh Sharma’s wife in the Sharma biopic titled Salute come from? Says an informed source, “Well, there was some interest from her side. Because she hasn’t ever worked with Aamir Khan.” So, it’s full-throttle ahead for Priyanka with the Kalpana Chawla biopic, which she will co-produce with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures.

PC: Two biopics back to back?
Priyanka Chopra might not have announced any Hindi releases for around two years now but the actress has signed two biopics. Apart from the Rakesh Sharma biopic in which she plays an astronaut, she will essay the role of Kalpana Chawla in the next one. Says a source, “Priyanka met the makers and has asked them to start the pre-production work on the film. This will be the first film to go on floors right after Quantico if all goes well.”