Fifteen years after its release, Singh Is Kinng stands as a testament to the magic woven when creative minds unite. Its writer-director Anees Bazmee reveals he only had a rough concept in mind and in the midst of developing an idea, he reached out to Akshay Kumar, and the actor readily agreed to be a part of the project without thinking twice.

“Akshay was shooting for a film in a different country. So I called him, shared the idea, and within five minutes, he was on board; we could never narrate the whole script to him.”

As the narrative crystallised, Bazmee envisioned a young Sikh man from Punjab at the story’s core. Bazmee, seeking to present Kumar in a distinctive light, remarks, “I wanted to present Akshay in a unique avatar... I randomly landed on the set where Akshay was shooting for some other project. I took a turban and asked him to wear it. When I saw him, I was sure that this is how I want to carve this character called Happy Singh.”

He adds that Kumar also instantly agreed: “Slowly and steadily, the entire script was tweaked, keeping the Sikh community in mind.”

The writer-director also reveals that the film’s iconic title emerged in the later stages of development too. Bazmee, who shot the film while wearing a turban, goes on to share that the film’s cast extended beyond its celebrity ensemble.

Local talents from Punjab expressed an ardent desire to contribute, leading to the creation of tailored roles for them. “They were so excited to act in the film, so we created roles for them.”