Dunki becomes Shah Rukh Khan's lowest budgeted film in six years

Shahrukh Khan's much-anticipated film, the Rajkumar Hirani directorial, "Dunki" is set to have a grand theatrical release across the globe ahead of this Christmas. In this film, acclaimed director Rajkmar Hirani and Shahrukh Khan are collaborating for the first time, adding palpable hype amongst the audience.

The upcoming film has already generated a profit of Rs 100 crore even before the film's release, however, the film was made at a reported cost of Rs 85 crore, which makes it one of the least expensive films of SRK in the recent years, according to several Indian media reports.

The 'non-theatrical rights' of Dunki were reportedly sold in the 'range of Jawan' and "Pathaan", and as a result, it is already sitting on 'a massive table profit in the vicinity of Rs 100 crore,' the reports said.

However, this is only the production cost and does not include the honorariums of stars, including SRK, Hirani, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal and others. SRK and Rajkumar Hirani are going to take a percentage from the film's profits, though, as per the reports.

The total cost of the movie stands at Rs 120 crore, inclusive of the print and publicity cost, making it SRK's lowest-budgeted film in the last six years, reports say. 

Renowned for his efficiency and prudent financial planning, Rajkumar Hirani shot the film in only 75 days, out of which Shah Rukh shot for the film for 60 days. Hirani also synchronised his film's schedule with that of "Jawan," resulting in a swift post-production process, cutting much of his production cost.

Dunki was first announced in April 2022, which was way before SRK delivered back-to-back hits at the box office. This year, his films "Pathaan" and "Jawan" have collectively grossed over Rs 2000 crore at the worldwide box office. Rajkumar Hirani hasn't had a theatrical release since 2018's "Sanju", which was the biggest hit of that year. Sanju made Rs 342.53 crore at the domestic box office, as per Indian media reports.

The film is based on the 'Donkey' route and focuses on the illegal immigration of Indians abroad. The trailer for "Dunki Drop 1" was released on SRK's 58th birthday on November 2, 2023. The film is slated to hit the theatres on December 21, 2021 and will clash with Prabhas' "Salaar."

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