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ShowbizEd Sheeran records his first Bollywood song for Shah Rukh Khan’s King
Ed Sheeran has revealed how Shah Rukh Khan brought him on board for ‘Tu Mil Jaaye’, his first Bollywood film song, composed by Sachin-Jigar and featuring Arijit Singh, for the December 24 release King.
British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has recorded his first-ever Bollywood film song, for Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film King, and on Tuesday, 4 November 2026, he revealed how a conversation with the Bollywood superstar himself brought him on board for the track, titled 'Tu Mil Jaaye'.
The song, composed by Sachin-Jigar with lyrics by Kumar, features vocals by Sheeran alongside renowned Indian singer Arijit Singh, with Madhubanti Bagchi also contributing to the project, according to Dunya News and News9, which reported the story on 4 November. It was released on 2 November, coinciding with Shah Rukh Khan's 61st birthday, and has already caught the attention of fans on both sides of the collaboration.
Sheeran shared the story behind the recording in a video and social media posts, explaining that Shah Rukh Khan introduced him to composers Sachin-Jigar, and that he wrote and recorded his verse for 'Tu Mil Jaaye' on the very same night. On 3 November, Sheeran had shared a video on Instagram showing him recording the song in a studio, giving fans an early glimpse of the cross-cultural session.
For Sheeran, the project is a first. Despite a long-standing popularity in India, where his concerts draw huge crowds and his songs are staples of radio and streaming playlists, he had never previously recorded a song for a Bollywood film. 'Tu Mil Jaaye' changes that, placing one of the world's biggest pop stars inside the musical machinery of Hindi cinema.
For Shah Rukh Khan, the collaboration is a characteristically bold piece of casting. King, directed by Siddharth Anand, marks another collaboration between the filmmaker and Khan after their blockbuster action entertainer Pathaan, and it is scheduled to hit cinemas on 24 December 2026. The film also features Deepika Padukone, and the romantic track is expected to form a key part of its musical campaign.
The song itself is described as a romantic number, bringing together Arijit Singh's emotive Hindi vocals, Madhubanti Bagchi's contribution and Sheeran's English-language verse in a blend that mirrors the way Indian film music increasingly moves between languages and audiences. Sachin-Jigar, one of Bollywood's most in-demand composing duos, have built a reputation for exactly this kind of genre-blending work.
Sheeran's enthusiasm for the project was evident in his own words. "I love him," he said of Shah Rukh Khan, according to News9's account of his revelation, describing how the superstar's personal invitation led directly to the studio session. It is a reminder of how much of Bollywood still runs on personal relationships and star power, even in an era of global streaming deals.
The timing of the release was deliberate. Dropping the song on Shah Rukh Khan's birthday gave it an instant news hook and a ready-made audience of fans celebrating the actor online, while the studio video the following day kept the conversation going into the working week. By 4 November, entertainment outlets in both India and Pakistan were carrying the story, underlining its reach beyond a single market.
The collaboration also reflects a wider trend in Indian cinema: the use of international artists not as novelty guests, but as genuine contributors to a film's soundtrack. As Bollywood films chase global audiences, a name like Sheeran's on a soundtrack can open doors on streaming platforms and in markets where Hindi film music might otherwise struggle to be heard.
Whether 'Tu Mil Jaaye' becomes a chart hit in its own right will depend on the film's release and on how audiences respond when King arrives in cinemas on Christmas Eve. For now, though, the song has already achieved something rarer: a genuine meeting point between two of the world's biggest music and film cultures, brokered, as Sheeran himself tells it, by a single conversation with Shah Rukh Khan.
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