Apparently director Reema Kagti and producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani zeroed in on the title Dhuaan, and then decided to drop it at the last minute.
A source tells Businessofcinema.com, “Everyone thought Dhuaan is a perfect title because the film is a suspense thriller. Nothing is as it seems. While Aamir’s cop-character is investigating a murder in a red-light area, his personal life too is shrouded in a smoky haze of ambiguity, hence Dhuaan fitted in perfectly.”
However, movies with Dhuaan or related words like Dhund (the title of a B R Chopra whodunit from 1973) in the suspense format have not worked. Dulal Guha’s suspense thriller Dhuaan in 1981 (a remake of Chase A Shadow) was a fiasco. Even a film titled Dhuen Ki Lakeer didn’t work.
For now Aamir’s film is again without a title. Dhuaan has been dropped and Reema Kagti’s film is back to being called Act Of Providence among the cast and crew. As the release date 26 January approaches the paranoia about not finding a suitable title increases.
The source adds, “Aamir is a stranger to such title deadlocks. Most of his films have found titles from before production. Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani’s company is frequently stuck for titles. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was called Running With The Bulls until almost the end. And Game was originally titled Crooked.”
While Kagti and Farhan admit no title has been finalized, yet another source says Dhuaan may yet make it to the hoardings. “The release date is approaching and if another more appropriate title is not found Reema Kagti’s film will be titled Dhuaan.”
