On the occasion of Shah Rukh Khan‘s birthday, the makers of ‘King’ released a dance number ‘Tu Mil Jaaye’, featuring the leading man getting groovy with co-star Deepika Padukone. The romantic track has become a significant project for choreographers Piyush Bhagat and Shazia Samji, who helped design the hook steps for the track.In an interview with Variety India, the choreographers opened up about their experience of working with the two stars and how they encouraged SRK to lip-sync Ed Sheeran’s rap section.

How Piyush Bhagat and Shazia Samji got the ‘King’ opportunity

Piyush Bhagat recalled receiving the opportunity from Siddharth Anand, with whom they had previously collaborated. The duo described the assignment as a surreal experience. Working with Shah Rukh and Deepika also brought the responsibility of creating something distinctive for the film.

Why ‘Tu Mil Jaaye’ needed a different choreography style

Shazia Samji explained that the song was not intended to be a conventional dance number. “It was a challenge conceptualising and choreographing this song as it’s not an out-and-out dance number. It’s a mood, a vibe song. So, the choreography also had to be in that zone.” She went on to add, “While working with legends like SRK and Deepika Padukone, our main focus was to give them steps that match the vibe of the song and not go overboard with too many movements. In the end, the actors made the steps look effortless.”

Piyush Bhagat on creating the signature hook step

Piyush also revealed, “We designed the hook step’s body language with SRK in mind.”As the track features Arijit Singh, Sachin–Jigar and an English rap section by Ed Sheeran, Bhagat called it “the biggest collab.” He went on to share, “Having SRK lip-sync Ed Sheeran’s part was always in the plan, but we pushed him to do it. SRK, of course, nailed the sync as always.”

Shah Rukh Khan’s dedication during rehearsals

The choreographers also recalled their first meeting with Shah Rukh Khan during rehearsals. The session took place at the actor’s gym, where he share his approach to practising. They recalled, “he said, ‘Jab tak main achha nahi karu, please mujhe rehearsal karvate rehna’ (Please make me rehearse till I get the steps right). He works very hard and makes everyone around him feel special.”Directed by Siddharth Anand, ‘King’ is an upcoming Hindi action thriller starring Shah Rukh Khan and co-starring his daughter, Suhana Khan. The film, featuring an ensemble cast, is scheduled to release on December 24, 2026.