Dr M S Anand
Auckland, December 24, 2023
Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu give compelling performances
The film is now showing in Event Cinemas in New Zealand
Shah Rukh Khan collaborates with Rajkumar Hirani to deliver a heartfelt slightly laboured narrative centred around four friends from a small Punjab town chasing dreams in England.
Editor’s Note: At a promotional, Shah Rukh Khan said that Dunki is an illegal trip that many people take to get out of their country across borders worldwide. “It is called the ‘Donkey Travels.’ The term Donkey Flight (Dunki in Punjabi) originated from the Punjabi idiom ‘to hop from place to place.’ This method of entering borders illegally has gained popularity among migrants, particularly those hailing from Indian states such as Punjab, Haryana and even Gujarat.”
SRK’s seasoned acting elevates Dunki, complemented by Taapsee Pannu’s compelling portrayal and Vicky Kaushal’s standout cameo.
Hirani, known for blending social themes with humour, crafts a tale that transcends being just a film; it becomes a universal story of humanity, mirroring the struggles of those daring to dream for a better life.
Immigration and Society
The film delves into immigration challenges and societal issues, adding a meaningful layer to the diverse landscape of Bollywood cinema. Hirani’s unique ability to fuse tears and laughter is evident in scenes ranging from exploitation by immigration agents, and attendance at English coaching classes to achieve the required IELTS score to SRK teaching Taapsee wrestling.
The narrative unfolds as the four friends traverse through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey to reach England, facing the perils of illegal immigration in challenging circumstances. The loss of their colleagues, shot and killed, leaves audiences with a profound sense of despair.
The love story between SRK and Taapsee, their separation, and reunion after 25 years in tragic circumstances add an extra layer of melancholy. Perhaps, an over-simplistic approach to a complex theme is one of the movie’s drawbacks.
The musical brilliance of Javed Akhtar and Sonu Nigam in ‘Nikle The Kabhi Hum Ghar Se’ resonates deeply, capturing the theme of leaving one’s hometown and settling in a foreign country, giving the audience goosebumps.
While Dunki may not match the box office success of SRK’s hits Pathaan or Jawan, it is likely to be recognised in the awards circuit.
Movie rating: 3.5/5
Dr M S Anand is the Medical Lead at Community Adult Mental Health Services (Te Toka Tumai) Auckland.
About Dunki (From Wikipedia)
Dunki is a 2023 Hindi comedy, drama film directed by Rajkumar Hirani and Co-Written by Hirani, Abhijat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon.
The film is based on the illegal immigration technique ‘Donkey flight.’
Produced under the banners of Red Chillies Entertainment, Jio Studios and Rajkumar Hirani Films, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal and Boman Irani in a special appearance.
The film was announced in April 2022, with the title Dunki.
Shooting schedules were held in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kashmir, Budapest, London Jedah and Neom and completed in April 2023. The soundtrack was composed by Pritam, while Aman Pant composed the background score. C K Muraleedharan, Manush Nandan and Amit Roy handled the cinematography.
Dunki was released worldwide on 21 December 2023 to a mixed-to-positive response from critics with praise towards its story, screenplay, cast performances, humour and soundtrack but criticism towards its pacing.
The Plot
In 2020, an aged Manu runs away from a hospital in London. She meets Paru Patel, an immigration lawyer and asks him to connect her with Hardy, her ex-lover.
In Laltu, Punjab, an aged Hardy is ecstatic to receive Manu’s call. She asks him to meet her in Dubai so that he can bring her back to India through Dunki.
The film goes into a flashback.
In 1995, Manu and her friends, Buggu and Ballu, live in Laltu and yearn to immigrate to London for a better life. Poor and uneducated, they are unable to procure a visa, despite trying various methods.
One day, an ex-soldier Hardy arrives in their village. Manu’s brother had saved his life in combat, and he has come back to return his personal belongings, but realises that he has died in an accident, leaving Manu and her family in a poor financial situation. He promises to help Manu reach London, as a return for her brother’s kindness.
They enrol at an IELTS coaching class taught by Geetu Gulati, where they meet Sukhi.
Sukhi wants to immigrate to London to save his ex-lover, who was married off to an NRI man who physically abuses her. Only Balli clears the exams, and the rest fail.
Once in London, Balli tells Sukhi that his ex has died by suicide, due to which Sukhi too kills himself. Traumatised, Hardy promises to take Manu and Buggu to London through Dunki. While they do so successfully, a series of events cause them to be reprimanded by the court where Hardy gets deported back to India.
In the present, the four friends meet up in Dubai and try to leave for India via cargo containers. Once they reach their hometown, Manu is shocked to learn that Hardy had never married out of love for her; she realises this and when Hardy proposes to her, she faints and dies, leaving Hardy grief-stricken.
The film ends with an epilogue that visas were not issued for travel to other countries 140 years ago and many people still take illegal immigration techniques to fulfil their dreams.
