As Shah Rukh Khan turned 60 on Sunday, the film industry clamoured to wish him in the most innovative fashion on social media. There were countless posts with wordplay, most not very subtle. As the title reveal of his film King took place on the same day, a lot of ‘Happy birthday King’ posts found their way on Twitter and Instagram. Amid this, the wish from King director Siddharth Anand caught people’s eye, with the internet convinced that it was also meant as a diss to Prabhas and Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
What Siddharth Anand said
On Sunday afternoon, Siddharth, who has previously directed Shah Rukh in Pathaan, took to Twitter (now X) to share a picture with Shah Rukh. In the text alongside, the filmmaker wrote, “When stars go beyond being “just a superstar” they are called (crown emoji) Happy Birthday INDIA’s KING.”
Many noticed Siddharth’s emphasis on ‘just a superstar’ in his wish, linking it to how Sandeep Reddy Vanga had listed Prabhas as ‘India’s biggest superstar’ in the audio teaser of his film Spirit recently. Prabhas being labelled the biggest superstar had not gone down too well with Shah Rukh fans, who ridiculed the tag on Twitter.
The internet reacts
{{/usCountry}}Many noticed Siddharth’s emphasis on ‘just a superstar’ in his wish, linking it to how Sandeep Reddy Vanga had listed Prabhas as ‘India’s biggest superstar’ in the audio teaser of his film Spirit recently. Prabhas being labelled the biggest superstar had not gone down too well with Shah Rukh fans, who ridiculed the tag on Twitter.
The internet reacts
{{/usCountry}}Many on Reddit felt that Siddharth’s wish was a subtle diss towards Prabhas and Vanga, emphasising that Shah Rukh was bigger than a superstar. “Sid Anand casually trolling Prabhas and Vanga,” wrote one Redditor. However, many felt that if the filmmaker did this intentionally, he was playing into Vanga’s hands, who was most likely trying to stir up a controversy to help his film. “This is exactly what Vanga wanted,” wrote one. Another echoed, “Looks like Vanga rage baited whole Bollywood.”
Others argued that it was silly of filmmakers and actors of this stature to indulge in mudslinging over actors’ tags. “Man, it’s an absolute travesty that out of all things to be pissed about, this is what pissed people off. It’s just a f***ing tag. Fighting over name tags of rich actors lol,” read one comment. One flipped the tables on Siddharth Anand, using a quote from Game of Thrones: “Any man who must say I am a king is no true king.”
There was plenty of support for Prabhas, too, with Redditors pointing out that the box office openings he ensures make him a superstar. “You hate him or like him but the opening a Prabhas movie gets is many superstar's dream run if their movie. That's the impact of Prabhas. What he is reaping now is the 5 years of his life he gave to the characters in Baahubali. Get over it and accept it,” argued one.
About Spirit and King
Spirit marks Prabhas’ first collaboration with Sandeep Reddy Vanga. The film also stars Triptii Dimri and Vivek Oberoi in pivotal roles. According to reports, Korean action star Don Lee has also signed the film, which is slated for a 2026 release.
Shah Rukh, meanwhile, will be next seen in Siddharth Anand’s King. The first look of the film was unveiled on Sunday, SRK’s birthday. The film, also releasing in 2026, marks Shah Rukh’s first collaboration with daughter Suhana Khan.
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