Shah Rukh Khan's King: A Remake of THIS Bobby Deol film?

Shah Rukh Khan’s much-anticipated action thriller King has been making waves since reports doing the rounds that he will be collaborating with his Pathaan director Siddharth Anand once again. The film wherein SRK plays an assassin promises to be a gripping, high-octane drama featuring him alongside his daughter Suhana Khan in her first big-screen outing. The ensemble cast also includes Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Arshad Warsi, and, more recently, the addition of Anil Kapoor — making it one of the most star-studded projects of 2025.

While fans are eagerly awaiting its release, what many might not realize is that King is actually a remake of the cult French classic Léon: The Professional (1994), directed by Luc Besson. The original film told the story of a hitman who forms an unlikely bond with a young girl after her family is murdered, training her in his deadly craft as she seeks revenge.The film starred names like Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and was the debut film of Natalie Portman.

Interestingly, Bollywood has already attempted to adapt this narrative years ago. In 2000, filmmaker Guddu Dhanoa directed Bichhoo, starring Bobby Deol and Rani Mukerji. The film closely followed the Léon template — with Bobby Deol playing a solitary assassin and Rani Mukerji as the vulnerable yet fiery young woman whose life is shattered by a corrupt cop played by Ashish Vidyarthi . Though Bichhoo was tailored to suit Bollywood sensibilities, with added romance and drama, it retained the core revenge-driven storyline of the French original. In King, Suhana plays the role of the girl whose family gets murdered and later gets trained by Shah Rukh Khan.

Despite its solid performances and chartbuster songs, Bichhoo didn’t receive the cult status of its source material. Over time, it faded from public memory, making the connection between King and Bichhoo an overlooked one. While the original film ended with Natalie Portman’s character going to back to school, it would be interesting to see if Siddharth Anand has a sequel in mind, taking Suhana’s story ahead.