Karachi: The title song Donkey Raja from Pakistan's animated film The Donkey King has reportedly crossed 110 million views on YouTube, eight years after the film's release.
The milestone reflects the soundtrack's continued popularity, though the latest view count could not be independently verified.
Released on October 13, 2018, The Donkey King was written and directed by Aziz Jindani and produced by Talisman Studios and Geo Films. The film follows Mangu, a donkey who unexpectedly becomes king of the fictional kingdom of Azad Nagar.
The film helped develop Pakistan's animation industry, showing that locally produced animated features could attract cinema audiences and generate box office revenue.
According to Radio Pakistan, the film earned Rs 24.75 crore during its 25 week theatrical run in Pakistan, becoming the country's highest grossing animated film at the time. Industry reports later placed its domestic earnings above Rs 25 crore, plus additional revenue from overseas markets.
Its appeal extended beyond children to parents and older family members, helping establish animated films as a form of family cinema in Pakistan. Schoolchildren were also among its audiences, with school cinema visits becoming part of the film's wider cultural reception, although the scale of organised school trips has not been independently established.
The title song Donkey Raja became associated with the film's success. Its music and characters attracted younger viewers, while adults also responded to references to politics, elections and governance.
The film also prompted political interpretations, with some viewers drawing parallels between its fictional leadership and Pakistan's government. However, Jindani rejected the suggestion that the film targeted a particular political administration, describing it as a social story rather than a political one.
The film's voice cast included Jan Rambo, Hina Dilpazeer, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Ismail Tara and Jawed Sheikh. Following its domestic success, it was dubbed into other languages and released in international markets, including South Korea.
The reported YouTube milestone highlights the film's continued presence in Pakistani popular culture and the commercial opportunities its success created for the country's animation sector.
