On Friday night, Deepika Padukone confirmed Shah Rukh Khan starrer King as her project, amidst the Kalki sequel controversy where the latter's production banner Vyjayanthi Films confirmed Deepika's exit from the project due to undisclosed reasons.

Deepika Padukone shared a photo from the sets of King, while also posting a cryptic note, referring to her exit from Kalki sequel. Sharing a BTS image, where she can be seen holding hands with Shah Rukh, Deepika penned referring to her Jawan co-star, “The very first lesson he taught me almost 18 years ago while filming Om Shanti Om was that the experience of making a movie, and the people you make it with, matter far more than its success.” Deepika added that she has applied this learning to ‘every decision she has made since.’

Post Deepika's exit, there was a lot of speculation about the actual reasons for the Jawan actor being dropped from the project, even as Deepika fans awaited a response from their favouite actor.

King, directed by Siddharth Anand, marks the 6th collaboration between Deepika and Shah Rukh — after Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express, Happy New Year, Pathaan, and Jawan. 

It is to be noted that earlier this year, a similar controversy had emerged when Animal filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga posted a cryptic note about Deepika’s unprofessionalism after she had reportedly chosen to walk out of Prabhas starrer Spirit when her ‘unreasonable’ conditions were not met. 

On the other hand, there is no official update on the shooting timeline or release plan for Kalki sequel from the makers. Considering Prabhas will first begin shooting for Spirit, the Kalki sequel could take another 4-5 years before it is ready to arrive in theatres.