Interpreting Dunki

 Well, it's been 5 years since I have written a post. So much has changed but what remains constant is my love for Shah Rukh Khan. And he has compelled me to come back here and write this.

2023 was the most glorious year for Shah Rukh at the box office. With Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki, he posted over 2600 crore rupees. But...and there will always be a but...many fans are not impressed with how Dunki performed. There was a mammoth of expectations from Dunki because of Shah Rukh collaborating with India's celebrated director, Rajkumar Hirani. As of this post, the movie crossed 460 crores gross already. 

I knew this movie would not collect another thousand crores like Pathaan and Jawan. I believe even Shah Rukh knew that. It's a well planned smooth landing film after the firecrackers in the form of Pathaan and Jawan. But fans? They wanted another 3Is. It had to have the same kinds of emotions and humor. Pathbreaking! India has a 80-92% literacy rate. But Hirani wanted to make a film that covered the story for nearly 18 million nationals abroad. He's tired of people harping about 3Is. It's the monkey on his back like Aditya Chopra has DDLJ as the monkey on his back. Every film made now by these 2 filmmakers, will be compared to 3Is and DDLJ, respectively.

I would watch how childishly some fans were trying to promote Dunki under every post on X that mentioned anything about illegal migration. It was cute but it annoyed me a bit. I kept ignoring it. Lack of knowledge was apparent about the topic. Unfortunately, I am way too familiar with illegal migration because not only is it a hot topic in the political landscape of USA but I have also learned a lot about them throughout my life in university. It amuses me that there are people unaware about illegal migration. But it also makes sense because it goes against the narrative of how a country is thriving...

I do want to mention a few things about the buildup to the release of the movie. We fans have been dealing with accusations of corporate booking ever since Pathaan and Jawan set the box office on fire. It hurts...from being his PR to tagging how we watch his movies as corporate booking, it's been quite a journey! Next up we'll all be known as AI generated bots. =) So impossible for Hakla (a nickname given by the underworld and lovingly used by national haters of SRK) to have fans who love him.

Prior to the release of Dunki, fanwars were rampant, especially after a particular 3+ hour long movie came out on 1st December. Hatred for SRK surged, random people started sharing random old clips without context, to show that he is equally or worse than their favorite. It became unbearable to stay active on social media! This negative campaign damaged Dunki a lot. It is actually appropriate to say that fans of other actors along with paid bots of the film that clashed with Dunki, ruined the movie ratings on various websites and apps. While I don't give a damn about ratings when it comes to Shah Rukh's movies, unfortunately non-fans do and it discouraged many people from watching the movie.

Now I'd like to talk about Dunki. To me, it's the best movie out of all the 3 movies Shah Rukh released in 2023. After I first watched it, took me a long time to get a grip on my emotions. Everyone did such a fantastic job. The direction and editing was on point. It's perhaps one of the best well researched movies in a long time. The topic of illegal migration is so sensitive and Hirani treated it with utmost care and respect. Nobody embarks on these kinds of journeys for fun. It's important to remember this even if you find migrants as a nuisance. If we try to trace our ancestors, they all migrated from somewhere. Because humans are not trees and this world is not a quarter mile long.

The following part of this post will include spoilers. So if you haven't watched the movie, I encourage you to watch it! Then come back and finish reading this post because I'll be covering a lot of things!

Getting a visa to go to some country is not always as simple as counting 1, 2, 3. A lot depends on your name and which country's citizen you are. Why do I say name? Because in spite of being a US citizen, I've been subjected to uncomfortable pat-downs at airports...because of my name. And if you're wondering about passports, take a look at this link to see where your country's passport ranks. 

In Dunki, the main characters want to go to UK in search for a better life. One guy is hurt to see other men eyeing his mother who works as a security guard at a factory. Another guy feels helpless seeing his mother work long hours sewing clothes to make sure they continue surviving. And a girl whose family has to live right outside their own house which creditors took over upon her brother's untimely death. The story goes that her dad had his shop burned during the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots (Chaurasi [84] dangey). And we see the struggle continue for 11 years in the film. Her late brother had taken loan while also trying out for the Asian games but ended up dying in an accident. Those with power were so heartless that they didn't even allow the family to grieve and readily took over their house while the family had gone to do the last rites.

Riots in Punjab were common from 1980's to mid 1990's because of political issues. In that particular decade, more than 20,000 Punjabi people were killed. That era is called counterinsurgency of 1984 to 1995. Many people were also detained and faced torture. You can imagine that those who were friends or related to powerful figures, reigned supreme. Anyone who tried to dig deeper to bring out the truth were given death threats. This also prompted many people to desperately go abroad. By hook or by crook. While the film doesn't cover the counterinsurgency in Punjab but it has a subtle reference. 

Next, we learn about how NRI men go back home to marry women from their culture. When a non-citizen goes back to their country of origin, they are almost revered as celebrities. Therefore, lots of families think it's a great opportunity for their loved ones to marry an NRI and settle in a foreign country. But it's not always so pretty. You'd probably be surprised to know that domestic abuse is a big problem among migrants. Even if they are legal migrants! The legal partner often uses their partner's status as a tool to control them. This is specifically more dangerous for those who migrate illegally because they are in constant fear of being deported. This particular topic is also in the second half of the film where a lawyer suggests Manu get into a sham marriage with a British guy then she could get her status changed within 1-2 years. But sham marriages are a big offence and can lead to hefty punishments.. I have had marriage offers because guys wanted to obtain citizenship through me LOL. 

The film presents how difficult it is to otherwise get approved for visa. It's a big business with fancy advertisements all around the main streets of various towns. Where there is desperation, there are scamsters who feed off of people's desperation. In Dunki, we see the 3 friends go to a visa agent who confidently says it'll be easy to get them visas. Ready made degrees are available. A particular excuse for Manu was that she could go as part of the Indian Women's wrestling team to the Olympics. But Olympics in 1996 were hosted in Atlanta, USA...not London. Imagine the lack of information and how these fraud agents take advantage. Expectedly, the various excuses turn out to be all fake and the 3 characters end up losing their money. 

The characters take up classes to learn English so they can pass the much coveted IELTS exam to land student visas. Sadly, any remote kinds of tests outside of university/college, are big money making opportunities. They know very well that their prospective customers are looking for shortcuts to pass the IELTS exam. They also know that these folks usually have little to no knowledge about English. Now it may be a bit more different but these opportunists have also gotten smarter! 

Let's hop to the donkey route. A lot of fans pinned all their hopes on this particular sequence. They thought it would have an insane amount of emotions and/or comedy. But Hirani kept it short and really precise because there is actually no scope to unnecessarily dramatize this segment. Hardy became traumatized seeing what Sukhi did and feared that maybe Manu would do the same. His trauma and fear is mixed with anger at the government of UK. By now,  people have gotten over the British Raj. That anger is now replaced with anger towards their neighbor country because of constant trouble and provocation. But back in the 90's, the dialogue about British Raj was still relevant and not forgotten. Hence Hardy and Sukhi questioned that when the British ruled the subcontinent, nobody asked them if they knew the language of the region. They did a lot of things...and if you want to learn about it, I'd recommend doing independent research using research databases like JSTOR. Research the authors too because humans and biases go hand in hand!

Coming back to the journey; a pumped up Hardy takes 5 people along with him. The entire trip is made possible by his own money to take this illegal route via waterways, trucks, container ships and endlessly walking through extreme weathers. The reason Buggu and Manu make it to London is because of Hardy's sharpness. As an army guy, he has an ability to sense dangers miles away. We were shown a glimpse in Bobby da Dhaba. The 3 others die because fear and desperation got the best of them. Manu almost gets raped then she sees how brutally Hardy kills 3 people for her and Buggu while risking his own life. She saw SIX dead bodies in less than 24 hours. She is traumatized. It's HUGE. UNTHINKABLE. Back to back. She was just a small town girl. What is all this unfolding in front of her eyes? Actually I can't even find words to describe it any further. It was perhaps worse than living in the container where they live, poop, pee, eat, sleep, all in the same place. 

This is a major difference between real people going on these journeys versus what's in the film: in real life, people are not always lucky to have an intelligent guy like Hardy with them. They may get into more troubles, if you'd like to imagine. Most humans don't treat others the way they want to be treated. It's a nice thought but far from reality. Why do people embark on this risky trip??? Because of the mere hope and dream that the grass is greener on that side while there is a never ending drought on their side.

Anyway, what happens with Balli is a reality for many people. Have you noticed something? He's sharing living space with people from other South Asian nations. The same nations which don't share a good relationship with each other. But those borders diminish during such hard times in a foreign land. Ironic, eh? Coming back to the kind of scam that happened with Balli; he passes IELTS and supposedly gets a student visa. But to which university? What's the tuition costs? These are questions that we have learned to ask. But Balli & Co. weren't taught to ask these questions. They didn't even go to their local higher education institutions. We are blessed in many ways compared to those who have migrated before because global communication has improved a lot and is much more accessible than before. You can contact the university to make sure your admission letter is not false. And we can research! Sadly, there are still many people who get too excited to see their efforts bring fruit...this dose of dopamine blurs people's thinking. When they get to the Western country, reality hits them hard. Is it stupidity or what?

There is a certain amount of shame involved in doing labor jobs or odd jobs. These jobs bring little to no money in developing or underdeveloped countries. While in developed nations, you can earn something. However, those who migrate illegally, earn less than those who migrate legally. For the legal citizens of developed nations, illegal migrants are cheap labor...if they are able to keep the illegals hidden from law enforcement. 

I had a colleague who had migrated from Philippines. She worked at a senior facility where she cleaned up after residents. One day she held some feces in her hands and told her coworker that look, this is dollars! It is THIS hard. And when relatives back home who receive remittance money, show tantrums and/or ask for more expensive gifts, it is equivalent to rubbing salt on open wounds. If you have a hard time earning money in your homeland, chances are likely that it will be harder to earn money in another land because that land is a part of this world too. =)

I mentioned above that there have been people who have sought asylum in western countries after they were subjected to death threats and unsafe situations in their own country. This happens when people try to show the reality which the government doesn't want people to know. They seek asylum in other countries. Of course, not all countries are willing to take refugees but the few that do, you'll have to go through the court process shown in the film. In recent times, we have seen how desperately Afghans wanted to escape their country after Taliban took over. So many Syrians are displaced because of their war and now live throughout Europe. Rohingyas from Myanmar, living in Bangladesh. It's so unfortunate when you are not safe in your own land, in your own home. When natural disasters hit, people have to leave. They cannot stay there and wait for death. But, there are also people like Balli, Manu and Buggu, who sought asylum not because of any known immediate danger to their lives but because they lacked  opportunities to economically survive in their town. 

Hardy's argument with the judge is one of the most brilliant piece of cinema. Seldom happens in real life because most people are scared to open their mouths in fear that ANY word they utter may result in immediate deportation. Actually, it's safe to say that only Hardy was the cinematic element or fictional character in the entire movie. Perhaps 1 in a billion chance that someone like Hardy walks this earth. The court scene sums up what Dunki is about in some of the simplest yet hard hitting words. We're all about protection and rightly so. Check the history, lack of borders decimated a lot of lives. We need borders and we proudly live within so many borders already...country borders, state/province borders, city borders, neighborhood borders, home borders, room borders, human borders, mind borders, borders inside our bodies too! Even the animal kingdom has their own sets of borders. 

But...it's true that anyone who invests certain amount of money in another country can become citizens of that nation. Be rich and beneficial to a country or just stay in your country of origin. Poverty is never a ground to grant anyone a visa or permission to live in a developed country. An assumption is that those who are unable to get by in their own countries, will most likely depend on public assistance that is available in developed nations. You can read this interesting paper and form your own opinion. It is up to you, what you want to make of the argument about borders. 

It took 24 years for Balli, Manu and Buggu to get citizenship in UK! In the meantime, Balli opened a business in London. There are so many people that I personally know, who are living here on visa, waiting for visa renewal or are illegally staying here. They start businesses, buy expensive homes...but they don't know if they'll ever be granted citizenship. It's hope that keeps the world going. Whenever I tune into local desi radio channel, I hear ads about immigration lawyers, visas, etc. Those who experience it...they know it so well.

The movie ends with our 3 protagonists returning home...again illegally but this time it's a bit different. They know their way around in their homeland. Nobody will kick them out now because they worked 24 years in a foreign land to earn this sense of security at their homes. Mannu walks on the very soil bare feet, which once pierced her feet constantly. Because she cleaned the soil beneath her feet and can now rest in peace.

Most people who leave their homes for a better life, forever carry all the good and bad memories of their homelands. Not everyone is blessed to come back to their homes, especially those who take illegal routes. Many die during their journey and those who make it, are constantly busy surviving and trying to make sure their families back home are living as comfortably as possible. I often see immigrants staying within their communities and not really interacting with other communities. They find comfort within their communities. Fun fact but this is a reason why there are lots of people who live 20+ years abroad and still cannot properly speak in English. 

Hirani and Co. didn't set out to make a documentary or a thrilling/horror film on the donkey route.  Most importantly, this film has started the conversation about those who take donkey routes. Now media outlets are posting news about what's happening with illegal immigrants. This is where Hirani and Co. have won big time. This film is helpful in discouraging others from taking illegal routes, most likely saving lives. They wrapped the journey between the reasons why to take donkey route, the consequences, and a rare sight of  homecoming. They tried to define this journey by saying that dunki SIMPLY means staying away from your loved ones. This line should have resonated with anyone who has to stay away from their ones for any reason. Whether abroad or another city or state. Yes, in today's world it feels less painful to stay away from loved ones because there is Skype, Facetime, etc. But I have seen so many people during the pandemic, yearning to hug their loved ones. Yet, the uncertainty the pandemic era had brought upon us, which should have humbled us, has turned us into far more arrogant creatures. We have survived a pandemic because we're smarter and stronger than those who have died due to COVID, eh? What happened to us?

Performance wise, I have no complaints whatsoever. These are all highly experienced actors, who have made a big impact on me...to the point that I have written this whole essay defending the vision they believed in. It's the most impactful cinema that I have seen after Fan. Hands down. I have never cried so much after watching a movie. The film showed a reality that is all around me. I was born in the 90's and I honestly don't have a lot of memories of that era. Yet, I could understand and still feel nostalgic. It's not cringeworthy to feel nostalgic for an era long gone. It's natural. Shah Rukh coming back with a bang this year is because he's this guy that many of us have watched from the 90's and he managed to rule our hearts for decades after decades. Our lives changed a lot throughout these decades but he's still our heartthrob. 

Dunki is not just mere entertainment, it stays with you. If you are still human-like, you will also cry. It will make you feel numb the first time you watch it. Whether you consider this movie as Shah Rukh's best or not, but this surely is one of the most important movies of  his career.