Rajkumar Hirani’s 2023 film, ‘Dunki’ led by Shah Rukh Khan dealt with the pressing topic of illegal immigration. The title also starred Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal in key roles. The film effectively blended humour and the complexities of the topic as the ace team brought the narrative to life. However, there is a story behind how the film got its quirky title. Actor-filmmaker Akashdeep Sabir initially had copyright over the title ‘Dunki.’ In a recent podcast interaction, he revealed how the title ended up with the Rajkumar Hirani film.

Speaking with Lehren Retro, Akashdeep Sabir stated that during the pandemic, the topic of illegal immigration caught his interest. The filmmaker discovered how illegal immigrants would often travel through challenging routes to enter America. Subsequently, he hired a writer to pen four seasons for a series that Netflix was going to back. For his project, he secured titles like ‘The Donkey Route,’ ‘The Road to Death’ and ‘Dunki.’ Notably, during the same time, Rajkumar Hirani was also developing a project on the same concept with Shah Rukh. Interestingly, they decided to title their film ‘Dunki.’ However, Akashdeep owned the copyright to the title.

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Reminiscing, he said, “Rajkumar Hirani thought on the same lines. Then, Shah Rukh said, ‘What is the film’s title?’ Then he said, ‘Dunki’. Shah Rukh asked Rajkumar to apply for a copyright, assuming nobody would have claimed this title. Then Rajkumar said, ‘No, Akash has it’. As soon as Shah Rukh heard my name, he said, ‘Don’t worry about him, I’ll speak with him.’” Following this, SRK gave Akashdeep a call and said, “Mote, Shah Rukh bol raha hun.” While the filmmaker was working in his studio, he rebuffed it as a prank call.

Soon, SRK gave him a second ring. “He called me for the second time. He was polite as always, he told me, ‘Hey, I think I called you at the wrong time. This is my number, please save it. I am not on WhatsApp but on SMS. Whenever you are free, let me know. I will give you a call.’ As soon as I heard that, I was like, ‘Hey no, I am so sorry, I thought someone was playing a prank with me. He then asked, ‘Are you still like me? Do you still like to sleep at 5 in the morning?’ I was like, ‘Yes’. He then invited me for dinner. He then asked me about my family. In the second meeting, he brought up the Dunki title talk. He then requested me to give him the title Dunki. I said, ‘Sure, take it.’”

Subsequently, SRK organised a meeting with Akashdeep, Hirani, and other stakeholders of the film. They shared scripts and noted that there were no similarities and conflicts of interest. Akashdeep added, “Then his office called me and asked for the money, I was like, ‘Take the title, I was not going to use it anyway. Why will I take money from Shah Rukh Khan?’” said Akashdeep. Speaking about Shah Rukh Khan, Akashdeep shared, “Till today, he is a gentleman, intelligent to the core. Such a brilliant person. He deserves every bit of success.”

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