Still from a video shared on Instagram. (courtesy: IAMSRK)
For over two weeks, Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki has maintained a steady run at the box office. On day 19, the film, centred around a group of friends and their aspirations to go abroad, collected ₹1.60 crore (across all languages), according to a Sacnilk report. The Rajkumar Hirani directorial has now made a total of ₹218.17 crore domestically. Starring SRK as Hardayal Singh Dhillon aka Hardy, Dunki also features Taapsee Pannu as Manu Randhawa, Vicky Kaushal as Sukhi, and Boman Irani as Geetu Gulati. The film is not only winning hearts domestically but is also making a positive impression on the global audience. According to Red Chillies Entertainment’s Instagram post, the first-ever collaboration between Rajkumar Hirani and SRK has grossed ₹444.44 crore worldwide. The caption reads, “We departed from Laltu and have successfully reached your hearts! Book your tickets right away! Watch #Dunki – In Cinemas Now!” accompanied by a heart-eyed face and a black heart emoji.
Earlier, in a conversation, Shah Rukh Khan, Taapsee Pannu, and Rajkumar Hirani shared insights about Dunki. Although Vicky Kaushal was not present with the team, Shah Rukh playfully brought up Vicky’s method acting, and said, “Method actor ki baat nikli toh bata de, tu (Taapsee Pannu) to Vicky ke saath kaam kar chuki hai ( Speaking of method actor, you have previously worked with Vicky, what do you have to say).” Taapsee Pannu replied, “Har picture ke andar usko ek daaru wala scene mil jata hai. Manmarziyaan mein bhi uska ek drinking scene tha, woh usne itna achha kiya, wo actually me pata chala woh usne pi ke shoot kiya tha (During the shoot of Manmarziyaan, Vicky aced a drinking scene. I later found out that he actually drank for the scene).”
Shah Rukh Khan humorously remarked, “Main aise hi impress ho raha tha ke achhi acting kar raha hai (I was impressed thinking that he is a good actor).” He then added that Vicky aced a scene in Dunki and said, “Isne ye scene bahut khoobsurat kiya (He performed this scene beautifully), fantastically performed.”
Dunki was released in December last year. The film is jointly backed by Red Chillies Entertainment, JIO Studios and Rajkumar Hirani Films.