It's now safe to say that as far as Bollywood goes, 2023 belongs to Shah Rukh Khan. After starting the year with a bang with the blockbuster Pathaan, released in January, the superstar returned in September with Jawan and shattered the box office records he set earlier in the year.
And now with Dunki, Khan takes on a poignant immigration tale with a whole lot of heart that's bound to strike a chord with audiences.
A Punjabi reference to "donkey flight" or an illegal immigration technique used to enter another country, dunki can encompass any illicit means – from dangerous border crossings to forged documents or false identity assumptions.
In the film, Khan plays Hardy Singh Dhillon, an ex-army man who decides to help his friends immigrate to England. He agrees to be part of this mission because of his love for Manu (played by Taapsee Pannu), a feisty daughter whose family has fallen on hard times and who wants nothing more than to give her ageing parents a better life. Her friends Balli (Anil Grover) and Buggu (Vikram Kochhar) also have similar dreams, and stake their life's earnings for a new life in London.
But after losing everything to an unscrupulous agent, the four friends decide to take the "dunki" route, setting off on a treacherous journey through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and across Europe. They encounter trigger-happy border guards and dangerous armed rebels, losing many of their fellow "travellers" along the way.
Dunki doesn't dwell too much on the journey, however, but chooses instead to highlight the hopes and dreams of its characters, their motivations and the sacrifices they've had to make for what they think will be a better life.
Eventually, the characters weigh the prices they've had to pay and reconcile with the consequences of their decisions.
Illuminating this very human experience is what acclaimed director Rajkumar Hirani, who shares co-writing credits with Abhijat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon, specialises in.
From his debut Munna Bhai MBBS in 2003 to the 2009 cult film 3 Idiots, Hirani has given us beloved films that elucidate complicated existential dilemmas. And he's done it again with Dunki, spotlighting one of the most politically sensitive issues of our time with great sensitivity and clarity. He injects the story with enough Bollywood flourish, including song and dance sequences and loads of humour, but never takes his hand off the gear, eventually driving home the issue at hand.
Khan, of course, is the beating heart of the film. Appearing in almost every scene, he delivers on whatever is demanded of him with ease, from ex-soldier toughness to lovelorn simpleton who pretends to master the English language.
Pannu's power-packed performance also deserves a mention, along with Grover's and Kochhar's, and the rest of the cast including Boman Irani as a hilarious English teacher. Bollywood star Vicky Kaushal's fans will delight in his memorable cameo, too.
Interestingly, Hirani had earlier said that Khan rejected roles in Munna Bhai MBBS and 3 Idiots, both of which broke box office records upon their release. With Khan seemingly unstoppable this year, the beautifully made Dunki also looks set for the record books.
