Not Everyone Relates to Visa Struggles: Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki Comment Triggers Social Media Backlash

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has once again become a trending topic on social media after his comments on Dunki triggered renewed debate around the film’s emotional connect and audience reception. His remarks, made during a recent interview, have gone viral and are being widely discussed across platforms.

Hirani said that one reason Dunki may not have resonated strongly with certain sections of viewers is because relatively fewer people have personally experienced visa struggles or illegal immigration journeys , often referred to in popular discourse as the “donkey route” migration pathway . He suggested that such subject-driven stories naturally connect more with audiences who have closer real-life awareness of the issue.

He compared this with his earlier blockbuster 3 Idiots , explaining that its success came from its strong emotional connection with India’s education system , something that almost every family can relate to in some form.

However, the statement has sparked immediate backlash online. Clips of the interview have gone viral across social media platforms, with users arguing that cinema does not require lived experience to create emotional impact . Many pointed out that audiences globally connect deeply with films based on space exploration, war dramas, fantasy worlds, and superheroes , even without any real-world exposure to those settings.

The debate has also reopened discussions around Dunki’s reception , which was widely seen as mixed despite its strong box office performance of over Rs 470 crore worldwide . While some viewers praised its emotional storytelling and message on migration, others criticized it for uneven pacing and questioned how effectively it portrayed the harsh realities of illegal immigration journeys.

The film’s theme, centered around migration aspirations and difficult overseas journeys, had already generated strong pre-release buzz, especially due to its association with Shah Rukh Khan , whose casting brought massive expectations. Over time, however, online discourse became divided, with memes, edits, and reaction clips further amplifying the debate around its emotional impact.

Hirani’s comments have also been compared to earlier industry debates involving filmmaker Siddharth Anand during the release of Fighter , where audience expectations and storytelling realism were similarly discussed online. This has added another layer to the ongoing conversation about how modern audiences engage with big-budget Hindi cinema.

Social media users are now split into two broad groups one supporting Hirani’s view that relatability influences emotional connection , and another insisting that strong storytelling can make even unfamiliar worlds feel deeply personal . The discussion highlights the evolving expectations of viewers in an era where films are instantly dissected through clips, reels, and viral commentary.