Singh Is Kinng turns 15: Anees Bazmee reveals Akshay Kumar agreed to do the film without reading script

However, due to Akshay’s busy schedule, Anees couldn’t narrate the entire script to him. During the interview, Anees also revealed that he wrote the script with a young man from Punjab in mind, but the concept of the protagonist wearing a turban wasn’t initially part of his vision.

The decision to have Akshay Kumar wear a turban in the film came later when Anees Bazmee wanted to present the actor in a new avatar. He said, “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.”

Akshay readily agreed with the decision as he had never portrayed a Sikh character before. Anees also shared that as the script was further developed, it was tweaked to be respectful and sensitive to the Sikh community. Other actors were chosen to complement Akshay’s character and appear convincingly as Sikhs. The team also shot scenes in Punjab, surrounded by genuine sardars, who expressed immense excitement upon learning that the film was titled Singh is Kinng.

Released in 2008, Singh Is Kinng featured an ensemble cast including Katrina Kaif, Om Puri, Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Javed Jaffrey, Sonu Sood, and Sudhanshu Pandey. The film received mixed reviews, but was a massive box office success.