While Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Dunki’ stunned us by shedding light upon the harrowing journey of people crossing borders in search of a better life, a concept commonly referred to as the ‘Donkey Route’ but many didn’t know that from where did the film’s title came from. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Taapsee Pannu and others, the film’s title intrigued audiences due to its uniqueness. Now, a surprising revelation has come to light as actor-director Akashdeep Sabir claims he originally registered the title and later gave it to Shah Rukh Khan.
How Akashdeep Came Up with the Title
In an exclusive interview with Lehren Retro, Akashdeep shared how he came across the term ‘Dunki’ during his extensive research on real-life border-crossing stories. He spent months gathering information, watching thousands of videos, and developing scripts based on these intense journeys. While interacting with a Punjabi man, he noticed how the word ‘donkey’ was pronounced as ‘dunki’ in his accent. Fascinated, he registered the title with the intention of creating a series on the subject.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Call for the Title of ‘Dunki’
During the interview, Akashdeep recalled how Shah Rukh Khan approached him for the title. One night he received a call from SRK and initially thought it was a prank. However, they soon met for dinner where the superstar expressed his interest in acquiring the title for his film.
When SRK brought up the topic of payment for the title, Akashdeep was taken aback. He clarified that he had no intention of using the title since his upcoming project is named as ‘Donkey Route: The Road to Death’. Sharing his thoughts, Akashdeep said, “I said yaar, one title that I know I’m not using is ‘Dunki.’” He added, “Main thodi Shah Rukh Khan se paise lunga!” His generosity then deeply touched wiyj SRK who appreciated his selfless gesture.
To hear more about this intriguing story in detail, watch the full interview below!
‘Dunki’ was released theatrically on December 21, 2023, and went on to earn ₹470 crore worldwide. The film became the fifth highest-grossing Hindi movie of the year and ranked eighth among the highest-grossing Indian films of 2023.
