'Where's SRK?' Fans ask as Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar gather for Variety's cover

Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn came together for a rare and high-profile magazine moment, appearing jointly on the first-ever cover of Variety India.

The image quickly spread across social media, igniting excitement, nostalgia and pointed questions from fans who felt one major superstar was missing.

Released on February 1, the debut Variety India cover presented the four actors as “Unshakable.

The superheroes that broke the rules of stardom.” In the photograph, Akshay Kumar is seated on a couch, while Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgn stand behind him, their hands resting on one another’s shoulders in a show of unity and legacy.

While many celebrated the gathering of four of Hindi cinema’s biggest names, the conversation online was swiftly dominated by the absence of Shah Rukh Khan. Fans flooded the comments section with reactions questioning why he was not part of what they felt could have been a definitive generational image.

One fan wrote, “Wow, this looks amazing!! I love this. Missing SRK, though, it would’ve been a complete picture. Akshay looks so good, though. A lot of aura in just one pic.”

Another commented, “SRK should have been in this as well.” A third added, “Missing SRK in this, that would have been a generational pic,” while another bluntly stated, “This picture is incomplete without SRK.”

Several others echoed the sentiment, asking, “Where’s SRK?” with one fan extending the argument further by saying, “Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan also deserved to be in this pic.”

Despite the disappointment voiced by many, the cover also drew strong praise. Fans described the image as “What a legendary frame,” and “Totally unexpected.” Others hailed the actors as the “four pillars of Bollywood” and celebrated seeing “four legends in one frame.”

To mark the magazine’s launch, Variety India hosted a grand event in Mumbai on Sunday night. The star-studded evening saw appearances by Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna, Salman Khan, Shanaya Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Arjun Kapoor, Tiger Shroff and several other prominent figures from the film industry.

The four actors featured on the cover all have major projects lined up.

Salman Khan is preparing for the release of Battle of Galwan, directed by Apoorva Lakhia and co-starring Chitrangada Singh, which is set to hit theatres on April 17. Akshay Kumar will next appear in Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla, alongside Wamiqa Gabbi and Paresh Rawal, with a May release planned.

Ajay Devgn is slated to return in Drishyam 3, directed by Abhishek Pathak and also starring Tabu, Shriya Saran and Jaideep Ahlawat, with an October 2 theatrical release. Aamir Khan, meanwhile, is awaiting the release of his production Ek Din, featuring his son Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi, scheduled to arrive in cinemas on May 1.