Shah Rukh Khan to begin shooting for biopic on astronaut Rakesh Sharma, titled Salute, in 2019

Shah Rukh Khan will now shoot for the much-awaited biopic of former Indian Air Force pilot Rakesh Sharma,  Salute in 2019 writes DNA. It was earlier reported that the actor had locked his dates for September  2018 and will shoot till late November. It was also reported that the makers were eyeing for an early 2019 release. The publication writes that the reason for the delay is because the actor has currently invested all his time on the film Zero , also starring Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. [caption id=“attachment_4648021” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Shah Rukh Khan and Rakesh Sharma. Image from Twitter/@IamPrashantJain[/caption] DNA quoted a source as saying, “This is undoubtedly SRK’s most ambitious film till date and he wants it at par with international standards. The first half of Zero is edited and even the VFX is complete. King Khan and his team have loved what they have seen. They are also cutting a trailer, which will release on his birthday (2 November). He has shown a few rushes of the movie to his industry friends, too, who have liked it. Shah Rukh wants to completely invest his time in the project till it releases this December. He has wrapped up most of his ad shoots and has also requested the makers of his next film Salute to push it ahead by a few months as right now, his focus is on Zero. He was supposed to kick-start the biopic on Rakesh Sharma around October, but now, it will go on floors next year.” Salute will revolve around the life of times of Rakesh Sharma, who took off on Soyuz T-11, a Soviet rocket on 2 April 1984 as part of the Intercosmos programme. On reaching outer space with Commander Yury Malyshev and Flight Engineer Gennadi Strekalov who were also part of the programme, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi held a joint television conference with him during which she asked him how India looked from space. He replied saying, “Saare Jahan Se Achha”, alluding to the patriotic poem written by Iqbal while India was still under colonial rule. The iconic moment filled millions of Indian with pride and Sharma received an epic homecoming.