Taapsee Pannu calls out wealth disparity in visa process, reveals struggles faced by Dunki crew in obtaining UK visas

Taapsee Pannu delved into the issue of wealth disparity within the visa process, shedding light on the hurdles encountered by certain members of the Dunki crew when obtaining visas for international shoots, owing to stringent financial criteria.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | Updated: January 24, 2024 08:22 PM IST

2 min read

Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu in a still from Dunki.

Taapsee Pannu and Shah Rukh Khan’s last release, Dunki,revolves around illegal immigrants taking the “donkey route” to reach the USA and Canada. In a recent interview, Taapsee delved into the issue of wealth disparity within the visa process, shedding light on the hurdles encountered by certain members of the Dunki crew when obtaining visas for international shoots, owing to stringent financial criteria.

Speaking to Filmfare, she said, “The rules of visas and immigration are such that, unfortunately, they only apply to poor and uneducated people. This widens the divide between the rich and the poor in our society. The rich get their visas based on their bank balance, but those with lower incomes face numerous hurdles. For example, some people belonging to the Dunki unit had a hard time getting a UK visa because their bank balance was less than the cut-off mark. Despite the fact that they were part of such a prestigious project, you can imagine the rest. Everyone wants an opportunity to grow, but the regulations come in the way of those with meagre means.”

Taapsee experienced a dream come true moment when filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani offered her the role opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Dunki. In an earlier interview with Pinkvilla, the actor spoke about working with SRK. She said, “This was a dream or a benchmark of sorts that I never thought I’ll be able to achieve because I really did not keep it in my list. I was like, ‘This is too good to be true, let’s just not even keep it in my list because if I don’t achieve it, I’ll keep feeling bad about it.’”

Aso read | Dunki Review: Shah Rukh Khan’s collaboration with Rajkumar Hirani is a crashing bore

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, with a screenplay co-written by Abhijat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon, Dunki was produced under the banners of Red Chillies Entertainment, Jio Studios, and Rajkumar Hirani Films. Released on December 21, 2023, the film has grossed Rs 470.60 crore worldwide, according to Red Chillies Entertainment.

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