Has Shah Rukh Khan signed Dhoom 4, that too for the antagonist’s role?

According to hush-hush whispers in Bollywood’s power corridors, SRK has signed up for the hit Yash Raj Films franchise and filming might start around year-end.

There has been no official word yet from either YRF or Red Chillies, SRK’s production company. A query sent by The Telegraph to YRF didn’t elicit any response till late on Thursday evening.

After SRK’s last two releases — Jab Harry Met Sejal and Zero — fell face-first at the box office, speculation was rife that the Badshah of Bollywood is in talks with YRF. This came after SRK walked out of Saare Jahan Se Achha — the Rakesh Sharma biopic — and did not announce his next.

He even went to the extent of saying that he is taking a break and would concentrate on “family time” because, he said: “I don’t feel like acting right now”.

But sources in Red Chilles said Yash Raj Films had pitched Dhoom 4 to Shah Rukh. If indeed King Khan has agreed to do the action film, then Abhishek Bachchan, who plays a cop in the series, will have a new adversary to reckon with.

In 2017, when asked if he had been offered Dhoom 4, Shah Rukh had said: “With Yash Raj, they don’t need to offer me any film. Adi (Chopra) just calls me up and I do the film. But I’ve told him, Karan Johar and other directors that I am not thinking of any other film till December 2017. They understand and respect that.”

Abhishek, meanwhile, has said his next film is an action franchise and he plays the cop. Unconfirmed reports said the film is Dhoom 4 and that “a big star” is playing the antagonist.

Another source close to SRK said: “Shah Rukh has been meeting several filmmakers but the actor wants to do a commercial, out-and-out action film. Dhoom 4 fits the bill and there’s also talk of a project of Tamil director Atlee Kumar, whom the Baazigar actor met in Chennai recently.”