World War II created a shortage of labour in England, so they started migrating workers from India in large numbers to work in their fields and factories. Many youths from Punjab took this opportunity to make a life for themselves in London, and this soon spurred other youths to find ways to migrate to England. The Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 put an end to migration and it was now difficult to move to London, but the dream persisted. In 2020, a middle-aged Manu Randhawa escapes from a hospital in London, England and meets Advocate Puru Patel, an immigrationlawyer of Indian origin. Manu demands a visa to travel to India, but Puru states that receiving an Indian visa is difficult for her due to her past actions. Thus, Manu requests Puru's assistance in calling her ex-lover, Hardayal Singh Dhillon, also known as Hardy, who is ecstatic who receive Manu's phone call in Laltu, Punjab, India after 25 years. Hardy abandons a chance to win the local elderly athletics competition held at Laltu to talk to Manu, who asks Hardy to meet her in Dubai, UAE in order to bring her back to India because she is unable to receive an Indian visa. Manu and her two friends, Buggu Lakhanpal and Balli Kakkad, board an airplane from London to travel to Dubai and meet Hardy.
Over a flashback 25 years prior, in 1995, Manu, Buggu and Balli are shown to be living in Laltu and yearning to immigrate to England for a better life. Manu's mansion was mortgaged and she worked as a cook at a local dhaba, Buggu's mother worked as a security guard at a local factory and Balli worked as a barber since his mother worked as a tailor to make ends meet. Poor and uneducated, the three are unable to secure a visa for England despite trying various methods. The travel agent instructs Manu to learn wrestling, so that she can receive a sports visa on the Indian Wrestling team for the Olympics. One day, Hardy, an ex-soldier from the Indian Army, arrives in their village in a train from Pathankot as his life was saved by Manu's brother, Mahinder, when he was shot by terrorists in a war. Mahinder was a civilian, but carried Hardy on his shoulders to the nearest military hospital and even stayed with him for many weeks till he was out of danger. After being discharged from the hospital, Hardy decides to return his tape recorder that he had left behind, but realises that Mahinder has died in an accident, being survived by his widow and her son, and leaving Manu and her family in a poor financial situation. Hardy promises to help Manu reach London in return for her brother's kindness and starts to teach her wrestling moves. After Manu returns to the agent, she finds that he was a fraud and has escaped after taking ₹1.5 lakhs from Buggu and ₹30,000 from Balli. Buggu was asked to pose as a kidney doctor with fake degrees, but he fails the simple questions from the immigration officer. Balli was asked to marry a British citizen supposedly in India, but it turns out that many other men had paid their agents to marry the same woman, who never existed in reality.
When Hardy informs Manu, Buggu and Balli that it is easier to receive a UK student visa by passing the IELTS test, they all enroll at an IELTS coaching class taught by Geetu Gulati, where they meet another student, Sukhwinder "Sukhi" Singh. Sukhi wants to travel to London to save his ex-girlfriend named Jassi, who was forcefully married off to an NRI man named Tidda and is physically abused by him. When Geetu mocks Hardy in class, Manu stands up for him and defends him by stating that a good teacher is like Hardy, who supports the students and makes them practice instead of mocking them. Since Geetu is not an effective teacher, Hardy comes up with a generic speech which can be delivered against any topic in the speaking test and makes everyone memorise it. However, the IELTS test goes differently for everyone, with only Balli receiving the opportunity to use the generic speech. Balli eventually clears the exams and flies to London with a student visa, while the remaining four fail and are left in a fix in India. Once in London, Balli sends photographs of himself in front of a luxurious house and a car, making his friends and family in India believe that he has made it big in the UK. He also calls Sukhi to break the news of Jassi having committed suicide after learning about Sukhi failing in IELTS, causing a devastated Sukhi to douse himself in kerosene and commit self-immolation. At Sukhi's funeral, a traumatised Hardy promises to take Manu and Buggu to London himself through the last resort available: the "Dunki" route which is the Indian version of the donkey route for the people who enter a foreign country illegally without a passport or visa.
The film then transverses through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey as Hardy, Manu and Buggu begin a treacherous journey for England and are joined by Chameli Nagra, Parminder Dingra, also known as Pampi, and Gulab Nagra, who are three more village folks from Laltu. While crossing through Iran, they run into a ruthless border patrol and Chameli, Pampi and Gulab are tragically shot dead by them. The patrol detains the three survivors, but when one of the officers attempts to rape Manu, an enraged Hardy retaliates by eliminating him and the other two patrol officers. Hardy, Manu and Buggu proceed to jump aboard a train, travelling through the scorchy deserts and encountering snowy mountains, and board a cargo container on the last leg of the sea voyage, in which they miserably spend 27 days and the conditions are worse than a sewer. Finally, much to their happiness, the three manage to reach London, where they are shocked to find Balli working as a living statue and realise that the photographs that Balli had sent were fake. Balli is actually leading a hand-to-mouth existence in England as the college of his student visa never existed. He shares a small ramshackle slum with a number of other illegal immigrants sleeping in bunk-beds, and in constant fear of being discovered by the police and immigration authorities.
Initially, the quartet finds jobs as cleaning staff in Shopping mall and large Grocery store, or as selling adult films in London. They meet Puru, who advises Manu to go through a Sham marriage as an easy way to receive British citizenship. Manu reluctantly agrees to do so by marrying a drug addict for 100 pounds. Puru states that once Manu is a British citizen, she can divorce the drug addict and then help the others become British citizens too. During the marriage ceremony in church, Hardy is enraged by the drug addict's attempt to kiss Manu, and they engage in a fight due to which the entire group is arrested by the police. However, Puru visits the quartet in prison and advises them to seek right of asylum in the court by claiming that their lives are in danger in India due to war and persecution in order to stay in the country. As an ex-soldier, Hardy refuses to betray his country, and makes a moving speech to the judge that asylum due to poverty or persecution makes no difference. However, the judge follows the law and ignores the human tragedy behind the curse of poverty, but the others follow through, rationalising their decision by pointing out all the hardships they have faced in making it so far, and the financial consequences of leaving England. As a result, Hardy is deported back to India by the police, while Manu, Buggu and Balli receive asylum in England and become British citizens, initially working as living statues.
Over the end of the flashback, in the present, Manu, Buggu and Balli reach Dubai where they reunite with Hardy after 25 years. At this point, Manu reveals to Hardy that she never got married and only published a marriage card for Hardy, so that he moved on with his life and got settled back in India. Hardy also learns that Manu is the patient of brain tumour with only one month to live, and that she wishes to return to India to spend her last days with her family, but their visa was denied by India as they had claimed asylum in England. With Geetu's help, Hardy visits Bakir, a local agent, who arranges for them to return home through the Dunki route. Armed with all the Indian paraphernalia (from Clothing to Mobile phone to Newspaper) and surrendering their passports to Bakir, the quartet attempts to leave for India through a cargo container in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but Bakir falsely informs the Saudi immigration authorities about four Indians travelling to London in a container, having previously planned the same with Hardy. After they are arrested, Hardy deceives the immigration officials into believing that they are actually Punjabi citizens travelling illegally to England, with assistance from Geetu in India. Manu, Buggu and Balli give their names as Chameli, Pampi and Gulab, who are still listed as missing Indian citizens and India accepts them and Hardy back. The Saudi immigration authorities prove in the court that the four are Indians and deport them back to India on an airplane.
Soon after, the quartet arrives in Laltu and Manu, Buggu and Balli are satisfied to find their families whom they left behind hale and hearty, courtesy the money they earned and sent to their hometown over the years. Hardy has also renamed Manu's mansion "Manu Di Kothi" ("Manu's Mansion") and has created a Big Ben clock on top of it. While there, he shockingly confesses to Manu that he never got married because he continued to love her by the time they were separated. Hardy then proposes to her for marriage, and a delighted Manu accepts it. However, in the moments immediately after the event, Manu silently dies from her terminal illness and Hardy is stricken by grief at her sudden death. He puts the engagement ring into Manu's hands and hugs her dead body, watching the Diwalifireworks in the night with tears in his eyes, as he waited for this moment all his life but when it arrived, Hardy could not be united with his love. Six months after Manu's death, Hardy, Buggu and Balli meet an agent, who offers to take them to London through the Dunki route. Hardy throws the agent down on the ground and then the three of them move on with their lives. The film ends with an epilogue that no visa was required to enter any country just 140 years ago and that with visas came discrimination in migration. Today, borders bar only the poor who are refused visas on the basis of wealth and education. Each year, more than 1 million people try to cross borders illegally in search of a better life, and many die on the way, their bodies never to be discovered. Their families cannot perform their last rites, as they are never aware whether their loved ones are alive or dead, and of those who survive, only few of them are able to return to the home they once left.
Vijayant Kohli as the Man whom Hardy wrongly assumes as Chaddha
Vivek Sharma as Dunki Agent in last scene
Production
Development
In late November 2020, Rajkumar Hirani, who had previously approached Shah Rukh Khan for the roles in the films Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) and 3 Idiots (2009), which were rejected by Khan, was reported to join hands with the latter for his next directorial.[8] Hirani narrated the story to Khan during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.[9] The film marks Khan's first collaboration with Hirani. By August 2021, the screenplay was completed and the film was announced in April 2022.[10][11] Hirani co-wrote the film with Abhijat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon.[8] Cinematographer Amit Roy was chosen first, but he left the film due to creative differences with Hirani and was replaced by C. K. Muraleedharan. This marks his fourth collaboration with Hirani after Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), 3 Idiots and PK (2014).[12] As per reports Manush Nandan, Amit Roy and Kumar Pankaj also worked on the film as cinematographers.[13][14]
Casting
Mukesh Chhabra was the casting director.[15]Taapsee Pannu was cast as the female lead in January 2021 marking her first onscreen collaboration with Khan. Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment produced her film Badla (2019).[16][17] Vicky Kaushal was announced to be playing a significant role in the film.[18]Boman Irani joined the cast in October 2022.[19]
Filming
Principal photography commenced in April 2022 in Mumbai.[20][21] The Mumbai schedule ended in June 2022 and the international schedules commenced in July 2022.[22] Filming took place in Budapest and London in July 2022,[23] and was completed a month later.[24] A bike sequence featuring Khan was filmed in Mumbai in October 2022.[25] A 12-day schedule took place in November 2022 in Saudi Arabia,[26][27][28] which included the locations Jeddah and Neom.[29][30] In Riyadh, few shots were taken of the Al Rajhi Grand Mosque, which was shown in the film as part of Jeddah's skyline whereas the Al-Hukm Palace was depicted as the building of a Saudi immigration court. A three-day schedule happened in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh in December 2022.[31] In January 2023, the underwater sequence featuring Khan was filmed in Mumbai.[32] Meanwhile, Khan who was also working on another project Jawan finished his shooting in April 2023.[33] The same month, the team moved to Kashmir for a four-day schedule that took place in Srinagar, Pampore, Sonamarg including Thajwas glacier and Pulwama.[34][35] A song sequence was shot in Kashmir choreographed by Ganesh Acharya.[36] The filming was wrapped up in Sonamarg, Kashmir by April 2023.[37] The film was shot over 75 days out of which Khan shot for 60 days. The film is reportedly budgeted at ₹120 crore, including the marketing cost.[4][38]
The soundtrack is composed by Pritam and Shekhar Ravjiani, while background score is composed by Aman Pant.[39] The first single titled "Lutt Putt Gaya" was released on 22 November 2023.[40] The second single titled "Nikle The Kabhi Hum Ghar Se" was released on 1 December 2023.[41] The third single titled "O Maahi" was released on 11 December 2023.[42] The fourth single titled "Banda" was released on 18 December 2023.[43] The soundtrack album featuring eight songs was released by T-Series on 18 December 2023.
Marketing
The film's teaser titled "Dunki: Drop 1" was released on 2 November 2023 coinciding with Khan's 58th birthday.[44] In all, 8 "Drops" were released one after another.[45] Drop 2 was released on 22 November as the song "Lutt Putt Gaya".[46] Drop 3 was released on 1 December as the song "Nikle The Kabhi Hum Ghar Se".[41] The film's trailer titled "Dunki: Drop 4" was released on 5 December 2023.[47] Drop 5 was released on 11 December as the song "O Maahi".[48] A promotional event was held in Dubai on 17 December.[49] Drop 6 was released on 18 December as the song "Banda".[50] "Dunki: Drop 7" was released on 27 December as the song "Main Tera Rasta Dekhunga".[51] "Dunki: Drop 8" was released on 4 January 2024 as the song "Chal ve Watna".[52]
Release
Theatrical
Dunki was theatrically released on 21 December 2023.[53][54]
The overseas distribution rights were sold to Yash Raj Films.[60] Home Screen Entertainment bought Singapore distribution rights of the film,[61][non-primary source needed] while Lighthouse Distribution acquired the distribution rights for Spain.[62] Action Cut Entertainment distributed the film in Bangladesh.[63]
Home media
The combined value of the digital, satellite, and music rights of the film was ₹230 crore.[64] The film was premiered on Netflix from 15 February 2024.[65]
Reception
Box office
Dunki had the 13th-biggest advance booking of all time for a Hindi film.[66] On its opening day, it collected a net total of ₹28 crore (US$3.3 million) in India and ₹58 crore (US$6.8 million) worldwide.[5][67] It had net domestic collections of ₹20 crore (US$2.3 million), worldwide collection ₹45.40 crore (US$5.3 million) and a net ₹24.5 crore (US$2.9 million) and worldwide collection ₹53.82 crore (US$6.3 million) on its second and third day, respectively.[5][68][69]Dunki ended its run with ₹262.25 crore (US$31 million) in India, while ₹212.42 crore (US$25 million) net in Hindi and become 27th highest Hindi net collection, with a further ₹208.35 crore (US$24 million) in overseas, for a worldwide total of ₹470.6 crore (US$55 million).[5]Dunki managed to sold 12 million tickets and overall 8.6 crore in this year for Khan.[70] It became highest grossing comedy film of post pandemic era and also became eighth highest grossing Indian film and fifth highest gross Hindi film in 2023.[71][72]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Dunki's got good intentions and no shortage of heart, but its uneven tonal blend and shallow treatment of serious themes undermines the intended effect."[73][74]
Tushar Joshi of India Today gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Dunki might not be Hirani's best work in comparison to 3 Idiots or PK, but it still entertains and leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling".[75] Sreeparna Sengupta of The Times of India also gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "Dunki's story is an emotional one - rolling in friendship, romance, heart-wrenching and heart-warming moments all into one. And in trademark Hirani style, there are dollops of comedy which is laced with satire to make it an entertaining ride, along with the strong message the film brings forth".[76] A reviewer for Pinkvilla considered it "a modern-day classic", but was critical of the film's pace.[77] A reviewer from Bollywood Hungama awarded the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Dunki bears the Rajkumar Hirani stamp of filmmaking with the right message and emotions as a backdrop. However, it is not as outstanding as his previous films as the writing plays spoilsport to a great extent."[78]Filmfare's Devesh Sharma was pleased by the film's messaging of "a world beyond borders", and praised the performances of Khan and Pannu.[79] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times labelled it a "heartwarming tale that's high on emotions", but despite praising the performances of Khan and Pannu, she was displeased with their chemistry.[80] Proma Khosla of IndieWire rated the film C+ and wrote "In the end, Dunki undermines its own messaging, sandwiching a series of informative cards about donkey flights between a rushed conclusion and comedic coda."[81]
NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee believed that the film's strength lay in its ability to not be in service of Khan's stardom, instead allowing the supporting cast to shine, particularly Vicky Kaushal.[82] A reviewer for Film Companion also believed that Kaushal's special appearance had enhanced the "simplistic" film.[83] Writing for The Hindu, Anuj Kumar considered Dunki "not the best of Hirani but has just about enough to make you chuckle and churn".[84]Mint Lounge's Uday Bhatia compared it negatively to The Dupes (1973), a Syrian film about border crossing, writing that unlike that film, Dunki "is only interested in illegal immigration and the refugee crisis to the extent that it allows Hirani and Khan to grandstand".[85]
Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated the film 2.5/5 and opined, "Dunki is high on ambition but its flimsy premise renders this nearly three hours long journey into farfetched adventures hard to believe, harder to buy into".[86] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in dismissed the film as "flat and unfunny", adding that the "strangely anodyne film is briefly enlivened by Khan's dimpled charm and spirited turns by Taapsee Pannu, Vikram Kocchar and Anil Grover".[87]Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 1.5/5 stars and criticised it as a "crashing bore" and considered it Hirani's weakest film.[88]
Internationally, Manjusha Radhakrishnan of Gulf News rated the film 4/5 and wrote "Illegal immigration and unauthorised cross-border migrant crossings are grim issues, but director Rajkumar Hirani humanized them with an emotionally engaging tale".[89] David Tusing of The National wrote "With Dunki, Khan takes on a poignant immigration tale with a whole lot of heart that's bound to strike a chord with audiences".[90]
^According to DNA India, the budget of the film was ₹85 crore.[3] and According to Pinkvilla, the combined cost of producing and marketing the film was ₹120 crore.[4]
^"Dunki" loosely translates from Punjabi to English to mean "to hop from place to place".[6]
^Verma, Sukanya (21 December 2023). "Review: Dunki Goes Nowhere". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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