After delivering blockbusters like ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawaan’ which earned more than 1000 crores at the box office, Bollywood Baadshah Shah Rukh Khan is back with ‘Dunki’. He has teamed up with Rajkumar Hirani this time and their combination caught the attention of everyone. The trailer of ‘Dunki’ received mixed response from the public but the hype was high as it was from SRK & Hirani. Amidst a lot of expectations, the film has hit the screens and let us dive into the review straightaway.

Story:

Hardayal Singh Dhillon aka Hardy (Shah Rukh Khan) is an ex-army man who goes to a village just to thank the person who saved his life when he was severely injured. But he finds out that the person is dead and her sister Manu (Taapsee) is struggling to make ends meet. In order to rescue their family house and give their family a better life, Manu plans to go to London along with her friends Buggu and Balli. Hardy falls for Manu and promises to take her and her friends to London at all costs. With their passports getting rejected, they decide to take the ‘Dunki’ way which is going into England illegally. How do they reach London? What happens when they live in London? Will Hardy and Manu get married at the end? Answers to these questions form the crux of the story.

Analysis:

King Khan Shah Rukh made a spectacular comeback in 2023 with ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’. They showcased the superstar’s unmatched swag and aura. He was back in his full glory on the big screens as he was walking in slow-motion, smoking cigars, beating baddies, romancing the ladies and doing everything that his fans wanted. They earned more than 1000 crore each which proved to everyone that he is still the No. 1 in Bollywood. He could have chosen another commercial script and people would have still cheered for it in the theatres. But SRK decided to feed the actor in him this time. While it was King Khan who created records at the box office this year, it is going to be Shah Rukh who is going to touch your hearts with his honest performance in ‘Dunki’. He should be appreciated for taking up such a film that satisfies the actor in him and wish some of our Telugu stars too take up such emotional or out-of-the-box films once in a while.

Rajkumar Hirani’s track record shows that he is a filmmaker who follows his gut and narrates the stories which he feels connected to the most. His filmography needs no introduction and he is a master of mixing entertainment with a very strong message is something to marvel at. While SRK decided to challenge himself as an actor with this film, Hirani played it to his own strengths without taking a lot of risks. The result is ‘Dunki’ which will entertain you in many places, root for the characters, makes you feel for them and even cry for them on some occasions. The movies takes its own time to unravel and sheds light on the situation of illegal Indian immigrants to fly to other countries in the hope of a better life. Much like ‘3 Idiots’, the story starts in current time and slips back into flashback where characters start remembering about their past and the hero of the film. Hirani’s storytelling is wonderful and he pulls your heartstrings in many places. Emotions are his biggest strength and by getting an actor like SRK who can shine during dramatic scenes, ‘Dunki’ becomes worth a watch just for that.

But the film is not devoid of any flaws. Hirani was so fixated on showing the struggles of immigrants that he failed to establish the backstory of the hero in a compelling manner. Out of all the main characters, it is only Vicky Kaushal’s story that makes you emotional. The other backstories are just ordinary. Also, the love track between SRK and Taapsee could have been handled in a better way. Since it is the strongest and most important thread in the movie, it should have been established better as one scene where the heroine defends the hero makes him fall in love completely that he even risks his life on many occasions. The chemistry between Shah Rukh and Taapsee was lacking and their story generates the required emotions only in the second half. The pace is too slow in the second half and the emotional scenes throughout the latter half makes the film a bit heavy. The huge Punjabi flavour is the reason why the makers decided not to dub in other languages. ‘Dunki’ is a film which has a lot of strengths but has its flaws which makes it a good film but not a Rajkumar Hirani classic.

Performances:

Shah Rukh Khan brings out the actor in him this time. The star takes the backseat and it is the phenomenal actor who delivers big. His portrayal of drama is extremely convincing and he proved once again that he is still one of the best in business. The way he changed his body language according to his age throughout the film speaks volumes about him. SRK makes you laugh, cry and root for him. He is definitely the life and soul of this film who carries the film in many portions. It is refreshing to see Shah Rukh picking up scripts like ‘Dunki’ despite getting blockbusters through regular commercial movies.

It is Vicky Kaushal who steals the spotlight in the first half. He portrayed the role of a heartbroken and desperate lover wonderfully and his action brings tears in your eyes. Though we know how it might end, we cry for him and Hirani seems to be writing some wonderful supporting roles for Vicky. Taapsee Pannu did a very good job. She got into the skin of the character and excelled in her role. As said before, her chemistry with SRK was not up to the mark. Anil Grover and Vikram Kochhar did supremely well as friends. They generated a lot of comedy and pulled off the emotional scenes too. Boman Irani was under utilized as Hirani usually gives him meaty roles. The rest of the cast are fine.

Technicians: ‘Dunki’ is high on technical standards. All the technicians gave their best when it comes to enhancing the script in hand. The visuals look natural and captured the emotions very well. There are no outstanding frames but they serve the purpose. The songs are mostly used as background scores except for ‘Main Lutt Gaya’ which is a love song. They are all wonderful and gelled well with the proceedings. The BGM stirs your heart at places. The production values are rich and the VFX of Red Chillies Team did a fantastic job in making SRK look young.

Rajkumar Hirani stuck to his guns and delivered a heart-touching film. He never tried to take the commercial path and avoided heroism completely. He made sure that SRK excels more as an actor this film. His writing is brilliant as usual. The concept is quite strong and his execution is fine too. There were a few lags in the latter half and the comedy scenes are very limited in the second half. Some scenes remind us of Hirani’s previous film but Hirani did a good job as an editor too. While the pace could have been quicker and the heavy Punjabi dialect may sometimes affect the audience, it is the performances and prowess of Rajkumar Hirani that save the film. It is certainly not Hirani’s best but definitely is worth spending your time and money.

Verdict: ‘Dunki’ – Witness The ‘Actor’ SRK Rather Than The ‘Star’!