The spy-action blueprint crafted by the YRF Spy Universe is gearing up for a major shift. With the upcoming film Alpha, produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by Shiv Rawail, the studio introduces its first female-led chapter, starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Wagh. The scheduled release date is December 25, 2025.
In recent weeks, media outlets floated a tantalising notion: could the franchise’s flagship hero agent “Pathaan”, played by Shah Rukh Khan, be making a surprise appearance in Alpha? Reports claimed that SRK had been approached for a cameo and that production boss Aditya Chopra was coordinating schedules.
Talk of Shah Rukh Khan popping up as Pathaan in Alia Bhatt’s Alpha sounds exciting, but current schedules point the other way. SRK has been focused on King with director Siddharth Anand after suffering a shoulder injury mid-2025. He publicly told fans that the shoulder was healing and that filming would restart in stages, with action and body-heavy portions to follow. That staggered plan and the scale of King kept his calendar blocked. So looks like this Alpha cameo rumour might be baseless after all.
SRK’s King is still in active production
Reports through late summer and autumn tracked King’s ongoing shoot and revised timeline, including updates that positioned the film later than first expected. There is a large actor ensemble and elaborate action choreography, which typically demands extended prep, rehearsals and reshoots. Together with recovery windows, those realities leave little practical space for a separate crossover appearance.
Alpha’s own clock is ticking
Alpha, led by Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, is slated for a December 25, 2025 theatrical release. That puts its production and post schedule on a firm countdown, making any high-impact cameo a logistical challenge to mount this late, especially one involving Pathaan-level action.
Alia herself is in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love And War, with an overseas schedule planned for December, before she aligns with Alpha commitments. Trade reports this week reiterated that the Italy leg is back on track for December, which further underscores how tightly her immediate calendar is set and how Alpha must proceed on its own momentum.
Given King’s active and complex shoot following SRK’s injury recovery, the revised timeline around its release, and Alpha’s fixed Christmas 2025 target, the practical, verifiable reading is that Shah Rukh Khan is not joining Alpha as Pathaan. There is no official confirmation of a cameo, and the current production evidence points to Alpha staying centered on Alia Bhatt and Sharvari.
There is also talk of Alia entering Amar Kaushik’s Chamunda that remains unconfirmed. Kaushik has said the team has not finalized any actress yet, which aligns with the broader theme of rumor versus verified updates around Alia’s slate.
Stay tuned with us for the latest news, Hindi box office news, Hollywood news, OTT news, the latest Bollywood news, and the latest box office news.
Related
About the Author
