 The media showed concern over the film 's title , deeming it " odd " , and some people were shocked because of the title , which can be translated into English as " mean " . However , the makers said that " kaminey " is not a negative term and is actually a term of endearment . According to Bhardwaj , the idea for the title came from a scene from Gulzar 's Ijaazat ( 1987 ) , in which the lead actor ( Naseeruddin Shah ) refers to the actress in a loving manner ; it was the first time that he heard the word used that way . Bhardwaj told Rediff , " when the script of this film was written , it was like discovering your own mean side . The format of the film is of a caper and all the characters in this film , excluding one , has an agenda . So I thought it was an apt title for the film " . 
