In this picture perfect Punjab the arrival of an outsider usually causes an upheaval a la Dilwale Dulhaiya Le Jaayenge or Namastey London, but you never really see the seamier, reality based version of a people battling real life problems like Udta Punjab.
Trouble arises when directors like Rajkumar Hirani attempt to merge both. The result is like being held down by the scruff of your neck in a bucket of sweet lassi by an evil grandma possessed by this need to get to ‘Kaneda’. Only that the filmmakers are not following real life events and the story feels late by at least 40 years.
What money lessons can this half-baked ‘pieces of cake’ film teach the savvy investor?
Scams surround the unwary investor. Be forewarned!
Dunki is about three friends who are down and out of luck who think that they must get away to England to better their lives. Their need seems to be real: Tapsee Pannu is Manu Randhawa who works at a dhaba because her home has been taken over by the creditor; Vikram Kochhar is Buggu Lakhanpal who hates seeing his mum being ogled by men because she wears trousers at her job as a security guard and Anil Grover is Balli Kakkad who is fed up of hearing the sewing machine which is mother is practically stuck to.
All around them are Emigrate to England Visa scams. From agents who will help them get fake degrees to agents who promise instant resident visas should they marry a British citizen. Each of them loses their life savings to the scamsters who vanish in the middle of the night.
Whether you are looking at emigrating to another country or parking your hard earned money offshore, know just one thing: Do not trust anyone with your money. The film is set in a small town, so the scamsters seem simplistic. But the cities abound with such scamsters too: visa agents who are smooth operators, fast talking and better dressed who promise you the moon.
Nothing wrong in wanting to do better in life, but not at 50% off!
When you’re like Buggu Lakhanpal, who is obsessed with the idea of wanting to get to the UK, you will even leave your grandmother’s funeral procession because the neon sign says 50% off Visa fees. You are even Manu Randhawa who is ready to marry a British junkie (for a price, of course) in order to get that citizenship.
Of course they are being scammed (the British cops arrest both of them at church! And Buggu is stopped by Shah Rukh Khan who intervenes in the nick of time), but tenacity may count in some situations in life, not when you’re wanting to emigrate.
The savvy investor will never fall for neon lit signs that offer 50% off for financial schemes. And certainly real more about every mutual fund in which they are going to invest their money.
Educate yourself! But not at Geetu Gulati’s Coaching Institute
Just as there are people who want nothing more than to emigrate to ‘London’, there are people who will want to ‘help’ themselves by helping you get there. Boman Irani plays Geetu Gulati who runs this ‘Learn English in 90 days’ school where people manage to attend after taking out loans on their homes and farms thanks to the promise of ‘Birmingham, here I come!’
When you’re looking at emigrating to a country that helps you park your money ‘tax free’, just remember one thing that even the simpletons of this village understood: you need to be educated. Know the language of the place to where you are moving your business, your money. There’s no such thing as a ‘tax-free’ haven. Those days are long gone. And you’d best stay abreast with the rules of engagement with a place not really your home.
Dunki’s die in the pursuit of their happiness. You don’t have to.
‘Dunki’ or ‘donkey’ are people burdened with their dreams of a better life. Once they travel in containers and trek across perilous terrains to make it to their country of choice they think everything is going to be good. But the reality for illegal immigrants is awful. They’re constantly living under the shadow of deportation, and do small menial jobs to survive. In fact, the film shows how Sukhi (played by Vicky Kaushal) is a poor lad who only wants to save his girl from an unhappy marriage to an NRI lad in London, kills himself trying to get to his beloved.
Not commenting on how immigration can be tough on those who don’t have the money, but a lesson here is important.
If your goal is clear – that you wish to travel abroad to study, to visit as a tourist, or even emigrate – then you must plan carefully. Open an account to save money that will grow by the time you qualify to study (as the dunki’s realise, just passing that IELTS exam is not all, you need a college admission as well). Do not be sidetracked by ‘easy visa’ scams and ‘break’ that precious ‘FD’. It would be smarter to invest your money in better yielding financial schemes, and there are many. And yes, any pursuit of happiness is not going to be easy.
Even though this film had throwback scenes like Shah Rukh arriving on a train or running to save the girl – which ought to have made every die-hard fan of the actor melt, this film showed how every Bollywood star, given unbridled freedom will only ham it like this were a senseless high school play…Thankfully, the money lessons make sense!
Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer’s forum, hosts Mumbai’s oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication. She can be reached on Twitter at @manishalakhe.
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Published: 23 Dec 2023, 11:53 AM IST