After enthralling audiences and dominating the Indian box office with their dubbed regional films, South Indian filmmakers are transcending industry barriers by collaborating directly with Bollywood stars. Amid Bollywood's struggle to connect with audiences through its recent offerings, the Hindi film actors are increasingly leaning towards Tamil and Telugu filmmakers to seek commercial success. Among those embracing this transition for their next mega-scale theatrical blockbusters are the three mighty Khans — Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.

Salman is banking on A.R. Murugadoss, a Tamil filmmaker renowned for delivering massive blockbusters like ‘Ghajini’, ‘Thuppakki’, ‘Kaththi’, and ‘Sarkar’. Their upcoming film, ‘Sikandar’, which releases on March 28, marks Salman’s attempt to reclaim his former glory. With this action entertainer, he is hoping to replicate the success of Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’, which was also helmed by a Tamil director and went on to become one of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters.

Although Salman’s next project after ‘Sikandar’ remains unconfirmed, sources indicate he is reading scripts from both Bollywood and South Indian directors. After the much-hyped period drama with Atlee fell through, Salman has started exploring other projects, including ‘Kick 2’ and an action comedy with Kabir Khan, but he hasn’t committed to any. Additionally, Dharma Productions is rumoured to be developing a project for him, potentially under the direction of a South Indian filmmaker, but details remain uncertain, with no concrete decisions finalized.

Shah Rukh Khan, who delivered Bollywood’s biggest blockbuster with Atlee's ‘Jawan’ in 2023, is keen to explore further collaborations with South Indian filmmakers. Although his calendar for the next two years is packed with Siddharth Anand's ‘King’ and Yash Raj Films' ‘Pathaan 2’, he is considering squeezing in an additional quick project and has been in talks with several directors. While he has received offers from prominent Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam filmmakers, Shah Rukh has not yet committed to any specific venture.

As for the widely rumoured film with ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ director Sukumar, it’s not even a thing right now. Although SRK and Sukumar met sometime last month, the interaction was largely informal, with SRK praising the director’s work on ‘Pushpa’ and his presentation of Allu Arjun in the film. Both expressed mutual interest in working together, but contrary to the media reports, no formal offer was made, nor was a script narrated. “SRK conveyed that he is open to hearing if Sukumar has a solid concept, but reports about a finalized subject or genre are baseless. While we’d love to see them team up someday, it’s not happening anytime soon. Shah Rukh is committed to two films, and Sukumar is also focused on his next project with Ram Charan, after which he is likely to get back to Allu Arjun for ‘Pushpa 3’,” a trade source informed us.

Meanwhile, Aamir Khan is likely to collaborate with Lokesh Kanagaraj, a celebrated Tamil filmmaker, best known for blockbusters like ‘Kaithi’, ‘Master’, ‘Vikram’, and ‘Leo’. Though Aamir has not officially signed on, he has verbally agreed to star in Lokesh’s upcoming superhero film. The ‘Dangal’ actor is also doing an action-packed, mass-appealing cameo in the director’s highly anticipated Rajinikanth film, ‘Coolie’.

Aamir is expected to make a final decision on Lokesh’s film after the release of ‘Sitare Zameen Par’. If he signs on, he will play a character with a powerful iron hand in this yet-untitled film. Said to be inspired by the classic comic ‘The Steel Claw’, the film centers on a man who, after losing a hand in an accident, fights crime and evil with his technologically advanced prosthetic. Lokesh is hopeful to get Aamir's approval and has started working on this project on priority, even delaying ‘Kaithi 2’, which will now get off the ground only in 2026.

The final narration between Aamir and Lokesh is expected after Coolie’s release. Whether Aamir commits to this venture or opts for another director, such as Rajkumar Santoshi, will likely depend on the strength of the scripts and the box office performance of ‘Sitare Zameen Par’, which releases in theatres in June. Stay tuned to PeepingMoon.com for the latest updates on these exciting developments as they unfold.