Dunki review: Shah Rukh Khan is not the star of this film on migrant crisis
Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki poster
Dunki review: The year 2023 began with Shah Rukh Khan making a remarkable comeback with the blockbuster Pathaan. In the middle of the year, he also delivered Jawan- another action thriller. Both films had Khan in action avatars and did extremely well at the box office. The year will also end with the SRK movie. Teaming up with filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani for the first time, Khan steps away from his action, macho avatar on-screen in Dunki and tells a human story of illegal immigrants. Hirani has for years made films based on humanistic tales and questioned the said norms in humorous ways. Dunki tries to talk about the difference between the rich and poor, the literate and the illiterate, and their common dream for a better life. Do Hirani and SRK create an impact with their latest offering? Only in parts.
The story is set in 1995 when Hardy (Khan) arrives in a town called Laltu in Punjab and encounters three locals (Taapsee Pannu, Anil Grover, and Vikram Kochhar) who aspire to go to London for a better life. Getting a visa is not as easy as it seems and with a lack of money, awareness, and qualifications they try other routes to reach their dream city. They first approach an agent who dupes them, then on Hardy's insistence they start studying English for IELTS and acquire a student visa to the UK. There they encounter Siddu (Vicky Kaushal) an equally desperate man wanting to go to London just for a day.
When they fail to clear the IELTS, they decide to go through an illegal route. First to Pakistan, then Afghanistan to Iran, and subsequently to the UK by the ship, stuck in a container. Of course, the journey is a treacherous one and they lose a few of their fellow travelers along the way but they do reach London. Only to realise that the big dream was rosy only in their head and not quite ideal in reality.
Hirani has made human-interest stories like Munnabhai MBBS, PK, and 3 Idiots- all very entertaining and wholesome in their storytelling. He has deftly taken up the fallacies in the medical profession, the blind faith in spiritual gurus and religion, and India's obsession to make it to premiere engineering colleges in his past work. He also made Sanju- a biopic on controversial actor Sanjay Dutt and slyly blamed tarnishing the man's image to the media. Hirani is known to create a world that simplifies grave issues, puts a smile on the viewer's face and effectively drives home a point.
Unfortunately, his latest Dunki leaves a middling impact on the viewer. Sure Hirani's classic comedy is visible in the first half of the film. There are some genuinely funny moments in the first half an hour of the film. But as the focus shifts to the great journey to the other side in the second half, the mood and the narrative become somber.
Even though the film runs on superstar Shah Rukh Khan's name, he or his character do not loom large over others. Instead, it's the ensemble cast that works well to the narrative. Pannu, Grover and Kochhar are splendid as the three buffoons desperate to move to London. Pannu and SRK's romance is slightly underwhelming and only shines in the song 'Lut Put Gaya'. Khan somehow takes a step back or perhaps it's the story that makes all other characters stand out more than Hardy. One can't comprehend why Hardy makes so much effort to help the three- considering he has not known them for long.
Like his previous outings, Khan does make sure he delivers a message or two about his stand on patriotism through the narrative. For me, SRK shines the most in a court scene where he declares that he will not leave his country and speaks ill about it. The scene appears near the climax and leaves the most impact.
Dunki trailer
Among the ensemble cast, the actor who shines the most is Vicky Kaushal, who is in an extended cameo in the film. Kaushal effortlessly plays the character of a man from the interiors of Punjab, desperate to make it to London. His character may have limited screen time but it's well-written and Kaushal delivers to his part, leaving a lasting impression. Kaushal also gets the Punjabi accent well, which SRK struggles with within the film.
Dunki also comes out in a year when the alpha-male and action heroes have been lapped up in India. Hirani's sensibilities, therefore, may feel dated in a year like 2023.Nevertheless,Dunki has its heart at the right place and tries to convey an important message wrapped in Hirani's quintessential style of entertainment. But it is also not the filmmaker's best work. Watch Dunki for its fabulous music by Pritam, its ensemble cast, and Vicky Kaushal's cameo if you must. SRK has already made his mark with Jawaan, and Pathaan this year, Dunki isn't his best.
