Introduction
This was the collaboration that countless fans wanted to witness, for an indefinitely long period of time. It was around 2019 that this news first hit the social media, and it was perceived as one among many other fake rumors that surrounded around Shahrukh Khan's next collaboration. But things developed, quietly, behind the curtains, and it was only in 2022 that a 'SRK-Rajkumar Hirani' collaboration was officially announced. Hopes were sky high, especially after SRK's smashing comeback and box office was expected to have no limit this time, but somehow, the film comes up as a mixed bag, with honesty and unevenness clashing in most parts. Apart from Shahrukh Khan, the film stars Taapsee Pannu, Boman Irani, Vikram Kochhar, and Anil Grover in the lead roles, with Vicky Kaushal appearing in a supporting role.
Basic Plot
A group of friends, aiming for a better life, set out on a dangerous journey to the western parts of the world, putting their lives at stake in the process.
Positives
Cast Performances
This film heavily relies on acting and rightly so. It's for sure that you won't see a Rajkumar Hirani film with bad acting, but here, performances take the driver's seat right from the start that smartly puts the film back on track, whenever the writing becomes too overwhelming to handle. Shahrukh Khan acts with sheer confidence and conviction, and while he hams a bit with his usual theatre-style act, it's not really a big deal except for a scene or two. He's shines nonetheless. Taapsee does a great job as the leading lady and her first-time pairing with SRK seems quite fresh to be honest. There's a particular 'desert' scene in the first half of the film, where there isn't a single dialogue, but SRK's sheer acting instead. The intensity that he creates just with his eyes is impeccable! Credit surely goes to actors Vikram Kochhar and Anil Grover, both of whom bring a grounded and innocent charm in this otherwise somber film. All of these characters are joined by Vicky Kaushal, who does absolutely great as well. This core group of five (later four) members actually make up for the crux of the film, with each of them getting proper screen timing to flex their caliber. Emotions like joy, drama, deceit, sorrow, conflict, and grief are well placed into the screenplay, which really does makes this film a heartfelt watch. Absolutely emotional roller-coasters are the interval block and the climax, that are bound to move you from the inside and it's again the cast performances that are to be applauded here. What Vicky Kaushal does in the interval is just too much to handle by the way!
Emotional Drama, some directorial calls, and music
While the direction in particular by Rajkumar Hirani may draw some skepticism, there are a few creative decisions that provide gravitas to the overall story. The foremost of them all is the decision, or rather the daring act, to not provide SRK with any spotlight treatment. This isn't generally seen in films helmed by superstars nowadays, but Hirani being himself, strategically prioritized conviction over hero-worship. Hence, the director succeeds in masquerading a bunch of top actors as a random group of Punjab-based undereducated lads, who are hell bent on settling abroad. The vibe which is thus created, generates a sense of authenticity into this otherwise adventure like story and keeps it grounded by preventing moments, where the screenplay tried to briefly resort to absurd exaggeration. The songs by Pritam are absolute gems of compositions, which range from fun and dancing, to heavy-hearted matured melodrama. There's literally a song for every mood that the film encompasses through, and their usage is even more fascinating. Director Hirani opts for a motif-driven storytelling approach this time, using the songs to match the film's mood in the best way possible. The songs overlap each other, repeat themselves, tonal shifts take place, and yet, the soul of the narrative remains intact! Things peak, when Vicky Kaushal does the unthinkable in the interval block while Hirani uses the song 'Ki Puchhde o Haal Fakeera da' by the Indian poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi in the background. The sheer similarity between the lives of Batalvi and Kaushal's character in the film is justified using the song, and it's probably the most subtly created allusive homage to a poet, that you will see in recent times.. top-tier filmmaking! The emotional core stands as another positive aspect of the film, that lends the film's core with a much needed heart. The way the characters develop a bonding with each other.. empathize one another.. fall in love.. soulfully detach.. is well crafted by the director. All of these elements find significant space in the screenplay, and writer Abhijat Joshi is surely the one to be appreciated here. The high-pitched drama and the emotions that follow, work quite in favor of the film, providing it with human emotions to emphasize on, which is something that majority of the modern films use just as a sub-plot.
Underwhelming Aspects
Writing goofs and an Ordinary execution
While the writing by Abhijat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon is good in particular, I did not feel that the film demanded a non-linear one. The writing surprisingly feels to have less of a character, and thus, it doesn't really wow you the way you expect it to. Director Hirani evidently wanted to rely on the execution and keep the plot secondary in some scenes, which did not really hit the intended mark. I mean, this time it was probably an attempt, different from what he usually does and I'm not complaining, but the impact could've been a lot more had the execution been spot on. For instance, there's a sort of altercation scene at a church in the second half of the film which feels quite weird, especially due to the way it's staged. I mean, there's absolutely no lack of honest intentions and I'm pretty sure that the scene looked good on paper as well, but it did not reflect that way on screen. Same goes for the climax as well, where it was very necessary to keep the mood suspenseful, and that's exactly what unfolded! But the average execution and surface-level treatment significantly downsized the gravitas and in turn, the overall suspenseful impact. Dunki is burdened down by it's own USPs, the primary one being the theme. Illegal immigration has always been a matter of serious concern and there's not really comical about it. Hence, Rajkumar Hirani's LCD (laughter-cry-drama) format ends up feeling indecisive about whether to showcase it's full potential in the familiar Hirani mould, or just simply avoid coming into play as the story's irrelevant for the same. Comedy is limited in the first half only to be vanished in the second half, and I'm not complaining as it justifies the sheer tone of the film. But when looked from the LCD perspective: the writing is majorly about drama and emotions with occasional comedy being a tad tonal shift at best. The film mostly operates in the space of clean and mild old-school comedy, which would surely keep you smiling, but will also keep you longing for those quirky, inventive, and sharp comedy lines, that defined Hirani's earlier films. I would still say that Hirani has got his math right as the comedy here is very character specific. I mean, come on, you don't ask rooted Punjabi youth to deliver 3 Idiots level humor, can you? But the linguistic humor could've been better for sure. This unintentional diplomacy of Hirani's tried and tested format leaves you with a very 'sitting on the fence' feel, that ideally shouldn't have been the case. Also, the film never gives a solid, grounded reason for why the main characters suddenly decide to leave India, making their biggest motivation feel oddly vague. There are a few reasoning here and there which try to fill this gap, but cannot. A few real, relatable struggles—like failed job attempts or limited opportunities—could have grounded their decision and added far more weight to the narrative. This also results in the film not really diving deep into the lives of immigrants and their daily lives in London. Prioritizing the journey over their refugee lives again makes the film lose some gravitas.
Conclusion
Dunki is a film that works works mostly due to it's sheer cast performances, music, theme, and the high pitched drama. The hard hitting dialogues, interval point, and the climax really take the drama to a different level altogether. There's a particular one take sequence towards the end of the film, combining past and present events together, that's very well executed. I even liked the inspirations that the film took from real life events, involving tactics that immigrants used to cross international borders. While there are certain important bits that are taken care of well by the director, the absence of an inventive narration, dealing with dark realities, ordinary execution, old-school comedy, a comparatively longer runtime, and a sad ending, makes this film less relevant to the masses. I'm surprised by how Rajkumar Hirani, a man known for his unique heightened-realism storytelling, keeps things oddly restricted this time when he had so much to explore and cultivate! I want to genuinely appreciate SRK's courage for deciding to star in an experimental social drama after giving two back to back action blockbusters. This was a theme, quite virgin to Rajkumar Hirani as well, and while he could've surely done a better job, this isn't bad by any means! Hirani has previously collaborated consecutively with actors Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, and Vicky Kaushal, and Shahrukh Khan shall be no different as well! 'Duniya mein bohot gham hain, humara gham toh bohot kam hain' says SRK in the film, and the line's as hard hitting as the film itself!
Watch Out For
- Cast Performances
- Emotional Drama
- Interval point and Climax
- Real life references in the post credits scene
WTF Rating
7/10