Feb 09, 2026 4:31pm IST
‘King’ and ‘Pathaan’ Director Siddharth Anand: ‘I think It’s Time I Make a Romantic Film’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Siddharth Anand is widely recognized for making massive-scale action entertainers like “Bang Bang” (2014), “Pathaan” (2023) and “Fighter” (2024). Yet, the filmmaker began his directorial journey with romantic comedies. He delivered a string of successful films in the romance genre such as “Salaam Namaste” (2005), “Ta Ra Rum Pum” (2007), “Bachna Ae Haseeno” (2008), and “Anjaana Anjaani” (2010), before pivoting to action spectacles with Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif's “Bang Bang” (2014).
Now, after four consecutive big-ticket action films, including his upcoming Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “King,” Anand is keen to return to the romance genre. Speaking exclusively to Variety India, Anand says, “I think it's time I should make a romantic film—not for people, but just to break the mold for myself.” While he doesn't yet have a romantic script in hand, he's actively seeking one.
Although slick, high-budget action dramas have increasingly become associated with his filmmaking identity, Anand is clear that he does not want to be boxed into a single genre. “Whether it's a romantic film or whether it's another genre, I want to do it all. What drives me mostly is the story. I don't look to do a big film or just an action on a big scale. I don't seek that. I just seek the story,” he explains. “My stories are generally small and intimate, but I think the texture and the scale that I inherently bring to them often make the film big in terms of production.”
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For Anand, the emotional hook of a narrative is what sustains him through the long filmmaking process. “I look for that germ, that story that excites me and will keep me excited for two years during the making of that film. I have to hold on to that one thought that excited me and made me take the decision to make the film. I always look for that. And I keep reminding myself through the journey of the film that this is why I am making the film; this is why I chose the film, so that I don't deviate from it,” adds the filmmaker.
But would returning to a comparatively small project be easier for him at this stage of his career? “Like I said, I choose small ideas which turn out to be big films. That’s an inherent quality in me as a filmmaker. I don’t set out to do it intentionally. If that story really demands it, I will stay true to it. I would love writers to reach out to me and give me that film to make. I am not into big and small here; I just want to tell stories,” he concludes.
The director is currently filming the climax sequence of “King.” The action entertainer—which boasts an ensemble cast including Deepika Padukone, Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Anil Kapoor, and Rani Mukerji, among others—is scheduled to release in theaters on the Christmas weekend this year.
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