Moments after director Siddharth Anand released the title reveal promo for his upcoming action thriller King, starring Shah Rukh Khan, some observant social media users couldn`t help but notice a similarity in one of Shah Rukh`s looks — the one in which he wears a blue denim shirt with a dark beige jacket over it. Some claimed it was inspired by Brad Pitt`s style in Joseph Kosinski`s blockbuster sports drama F1 earlier this year.
That shouldn`t have come as a surprise, given Anand`s beef with F1. Earlier this year, when fans of his 2007 romantic comedy Ta Ra Rum Pum, starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji, claimed that the film portrayed Formula One racing 18 years before F1 debuted, Anand capitalised on the revived interest in his film and tweeted, “Ta Ra Rum Pum, you beauty!”
Before Anand, Shah Rukh`s supporters joined in to defend his appearance in King. They released a snapshot of Shah Rukh`s look from Imtiaz Ali`s 2017 romantic comedy. Harry met Sejal, and he has the same appearance. They stated that if King lifted the look from F1, Brad Pitt`s film lifted it from Shah Rukh`s 2017 blockbuster.
Comparisons of his flicks to Hollywood tentpoles are nothing new for Anand; just last year, many dubbed his aerial action comedy Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, a rip-off of Tom Cruise`s Hollywood series Top Gun. Anand even defended the film`s dismal box office results, arguing that few Indians are familiar with fighter planes.
Siddharth Anand responds to the trolls
Even a few years ago, Anand`s blockbuster spy thriller Pathaan was the target of social media mockery for the orange bikini Deepika donned in the song “Besharam Rang”. Several trolls thought it was a disguised attack on Hinduism, presuming the bikini was saffron instead.
Anand has now responded to the similarities between Shah Rukh and Brad Pitt`s appearances. On Monday, an X user said, “Funny logic from haters these days. If a Bollywood film contains a fighter jet that is a copy of Top Gun, a ship that is a copy of the Titanic, the same dress code as F1, and an orange dress that is anti-Hindu (crying emoji). Their IQ level has been like buffering since 1947.” Anand responded to the tweet with a couple of laughing with tears emoji.
Siddharth Anand took a sly dig at Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Anand is well-known for taking veiled digs in his X postings. A few days ago, on Shah Rukh`s 60th birthday, he posted a photo with the superstar with the message, “When stars go beyond being `simply a superstar,` they are named (crown emoji). “Happy Birthday, INDIA`S KING.” Social media fans saw this as a dig at filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who referred to Prabhas as “India`s biggest superstar” while promoting their next action picture Spirit on the latter`s birthday, October 25.
