Shailendra Singh on 'Singh Is Kinng' title: I have begged Vipul to return it

While Akshay Kumar didn't part with 'Namastey London' title for producer Vipul Shah, the latter now holds on to 'Singh Is Kinng'

Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh

Nine years after Akshay Kumar's Singh Is Kinng (2008) spun magic at the box office, producer Shailendra Singh is keen on making a sequel to the action comedy. He is in talks with Ranveer Singh to step into the shoes of Kumar.

However, Singh has run into his first hurdle in the nascent stages of production itself — filmmaker Vipul A Shah, who has the copyright to Singh Is Kinng, has refused to part with the title.

What's interesting is that while Shah is giving Singh a hard time over the film's title, he was embroiled in a similar situation in July. The filmmaker had to rename his Namastey London sequel as Namastey Canada since Kumar, who co-owns the intellectual property rights of the film, refused to part with the titles, Namastey England and Namastey London 2.

Vipul A Shah and Shailendra Singh

Talking about his ordeal, Singh says, "I created the franchise — the concept of the movie and the title was owned by me. I gifted it to Akshay, who, in turn, gave it to Vipul Shah. They have even thanked me for the title in the credit roll. I have been begging Vipul to return it to me, but he hasn't relented."

Singh adds that whenever he broaches the subject with Shah, the filmmaker states that he needs the title as he intends to make a sequel. "Yesterday, I sent him a text saying, 'It's been more than nine years and it's obvious that you are not making Singh Is Kinng 2. So why not give the title back gracefully? Be a gentleman!'"

Disappointed by Shah's behaviour, the producer has now submitted another title for registration. "I don't want to fight any longer. I have got a new title; it's sexier than Singh Is Kinng," he claims.

Singh adds that he has already bounced the idea off Ranveer. "My priority is to work with Ranveer Singh. He is a lethal combination of Salman Khan and Johnny Depp. The film will be a heist drama. As soon as the script is ready, we'll give him a narration."

We reached out to Shah, but he remained unavailable for comment.

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