Shah Rukh Khan might have unofficially given his nod to Salute, the biopic on Indian cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma. However, as his dates for the Sidharth Roy Kapur production are yet to be locked, a formal announcement of the film cannot be made. What’s more, filming has been delayed and shooting, which was supposed to start in September, will now apparently begin in October.

Recently, there had been rumours that Khan was toying with the idea of getting into Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next period drama after he wraps up Aanand L Rai’s Zero. This would mean pushing Salute to January 2019. It had been suggested that the Padmaavat filmmaker had been in talks with SRK for a while and was insistent on having him on board for his next project. The film is reportedly a fictional love story with a period setting and Shah Rukh has already greenlighted the project. Bhansali and Khan produced some memorable cinema in Devdas (2002) and they are clearly looking to create something astonishing this time around as well.

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However, buzz now suggests that SRK will opt for the Mahesh Mathai-directorial Salute first. He is reportedly kicked about playing Rakesh Sharma who became the first Indian astronaut in space in April 1984.

According to the earlier plan, Shah Rukh was to wrap up Zero by April and begin the shoot of Salute by September. After the first schedule of two or three months, the next schedule of Salute was poised to begin from January 2019. However, with the delay in the film going on floors, the schedule is subject to change.

The biopic had earlier been titled Saare Jahaan Se Accha — which was Rakesh Sharma’s response to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when she asked him how India looked from outer space. Aamir Khan had been originally pegged to play the lead role before he backed out due to his tentatively planned series on the Mahabharata.