Neil Nitin Mukesh breaks silence on Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan's old award show joke about his name

Mumbai, May 20 (IANS) Years after a popular award show moment where Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan playfully joked about his name, Neil Nitin Mukesh has finally addressed the incident.

The light-hearted gag became a viral talking point at the time. Now, Neil opened up about his reaction, sharing whether the joke ever bothered him and how he chose to deal with it. The ‘New York’ actor told IANS, “I never took it seriously, nor did they. People still ask about it, but there was no malice. I respect them immensely. They are seniors and icons. It was done in good humor. Shah Rukh and Saif have entertained our nation tremendously. I hope to work with them someday. We shouldn't overanalyze such moments.”

At the 2009 Filmfare Awards, Shah Rukh Khan playfully questioned Neil Nitin Mukesh about having “three names.” SRK joked, “I have a question for Neil Nitin Mukesh. Tumhara naam hai Neil Nitin Mukesh, bhaiya surname kahan pe hai? Saare ke saare first names hain (Your name is Neil Nitin Mukesh, you have three names, but where is the surname)? Why don’t you have a surname?”

Neil had responded with a witty response at the time. He mentioned, “Sir, very kind question, thank you so much. But can I take the liberty of saying something?" After receiving a “go ahead" from Shah Rukh, Neil said, “That is an insult for me actually, I feel. It’s not right. I think you haven’t seen, but my father is sitting out here. I think you guys just need to shut up. I’m sorry.”

Work-wise, Neil Nitin Mukesh was recently seen in the new musical series “Hai Junoon.” Directed by Abhishek Sharma, the show also stars Sumedh Mudgalkar, Siddharth Nigam, and Jacqueline Fernandez. The series premiered on 16 May 2025 on JioHotstar.

--IANS

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