Dunki Trailer Breakdown: Shah Rukh Khan's Immigration Hustle in Rajkumar Hirani's New Film
From Trains to "Donkey Fights," a Glimpse into Lighthearted Social Commentary
In the trailer for Rajkumar Hirani's upcoming film Dunki, Shah Rukh Khan's character Hardy and his group of Punjabi-speaking friends travel through desert and sea, encountering armed security personnel and touts as they attempt to reach London even after repeated visa denials.
The three-minute, one-second teaser, which was released by Red Chillies Entertainment on Tuesday, opens with Shah Rukh, sporting sunglasses and a clean shave, alighting from a train at a railway station. The scene is reminiscent of Main Hoon Na (2004) and Chennai Express (2013).
His voiceover introduces his friends, Sukhi (Vicky Kaushal), Manu (Taapsee Pannu), Barber Balli (Anil Grover), and Buggu (Vikram Kochhar), the salesman of a clothing store. It also tells their story, which began in 1995 in the small Punjabi town of Laltu.
The teacher assigned to teach Shah Rukh and his friends English is introduced as Gulati (Boman Irani).
In addition to providing an initial glimpse at the characters, the trailer delves into the phenomenon of "Donkey Fight," which is the backdoor immigration process to nations such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The director of 3 Idiots and Munna Bhai MBBS seems to be incorporating social commentary into his lighthearted comedy. The movie promises to explore a relevant rhetoric in a light and approachable format, with characters singing "I want to go to the lavatory" in their English class and Sukhi responding that a non-Punjabi speaking foreigner can live in Punjab but a non-English speaking Indian cannot go to live in England.
The action that has become a recurring theme in Shah Rukh's recent movies, such as Jawan and Pathaan, is glimpsed in the trailer. In the video, a montage depicts their struggles to cross borders and enter the UK after they were unable to immigrate lawfully. In his final statement, Shah Rukh introduces himself as Hardayal Singh Dhillon, popularly known as Hardy, and declares that he will put an end to his immigration story 25 years after it started. The trailer's last images feature a bearded and grey-haired Hardy who is still physically capable of competing in a race.
On December 21, Dunki will be released in theaters.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
