Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani finally collaborated after 20 years for an emotional social drama. SRK was the first choice for Munna Bhai MBBS and 3 Idiots, but things didn’t go as per plan and the roles were grabbed by Sanjay Dutt and Aamir Khan respectively.
SRK and Rajkumar Hirani coming together is like a dream come true. The expectations which people have from this combo are very high. Dunki is an epic disappointment by this legendary duo.
Dunki is that film which doesn’t match the directing standard of Hirani and acting standard of SRK. Dunki is undoubtedly Rajkumar Hirani’s weakest film till date. Rajkumar Hirani’s streak of delivering back to back classics is broken by Dunki. Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju are regarded as some of the finest films ever made in Indian Cinema, Dunki is not even half of all these Classics.
Shah Rukh Khan is a legendary actor who has given many memorable performances. As a SRK fan, for the first time I felt that SRK has only done overacting in the majority of the scenes. Whenever SRK smiles, cries or delivers a dialogue, it just hurts you as a cinema lover to see one of the greatest actors failing to perform. SRK has delivered fabulous performances in average and crap films, but in Dunki even a genius director like Rajkumar Hirani has failed to present SRK in a proper manner. In Dunki we get to see SRK – The Superstar and not SRK – The Actor. Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor looked as proper actors and were convincing enough in their roles. Dunki was a content driven film where the performance of the lead actor would have made a lot of impact, but things have gone in the opposite direction. SRK’s performance in the older version is absolutely pathetic.
Taapsee Pannu is a great actress and in Dunki she has done a decent job, but fails to leave a solid mark. Vikram Kochhar has got a role which he can celebrate for lifetime. He gets a nicely written character to play which gives him a chance to showcase his talent. Anil Grover is a surprise package and does very well. Anil Grover has got something special which he can cherish forever. Boman Irani gets his weakest character ever in Dunki. In every film of Rajkumar Hirani, Boman Irani gets a powerful character which goes on to become iconic. The writers should be bashed for not writing a solid character for Boman Irani. He gets less screen space and looks very dull.
Vicky Kaushal is a legend in making. It’s hard to believe that Vicky is the same guy who played both the roles of Sam Bahadur as well as Sukhi in this month. Vicky shines in his less screen presence and how. Vicky has overshadowed each and every actor in Dunki. Whenever he appears on-screen, he lights up the whole environment with his hilarious punchlines and unbeatable comic timing.
Rajkumar Hirani’s direction is a big letdown. Hirani always tries to perfectly balance things and serves the audience with a delicious product. His films have created a different impact and left a solid mark on the viewers. Dunki is based on the immigration theme and deals with the concept of ‘Donkey Route’, where people try to cross borders in illegal ways. Dunki had a subject which only Hirani could have done proper justice to, but he fails.
The writing of Dunki has nothing exciting for the viewers. It’s hard to believe that Hirani and Abhijat Joshi have written such a poor script. There are many flaws and some basics which have gone wrong. The writers have tried to recreate many scenes from 3 Idiots, but have failed miserably. The writing does not has depth and lacks emotional connect which is always there in Hirani’s films. Hirani’s films have a social and thought provoking message which has a long lasting impact, but Dunki has nothing.
The screenplay of Dunki is very slow. The first half of the film is decent, which itself is a disappointment by looking at Hirani’s standards. The second half is unnecessarily stretched and is boring. The second half acts like a sleeping pill. The second half has some important scenes, but the dull writing completely ruins it. Dunki has a lackluster script which gives the vibes of a docu-drama.
The main characters in a Rajkumar Hirani film are unique. Munna, Rancho, PK and Sanju were the characters which were extraordinary and looked different from normal characters. These characters have the ability to change society and leave a long lasting impact on the viewers. Shah Rukh Khan’s character in Dunki is like a normal person. He does nothing extraordinary which can make the character memorable. Even the remaining characters in Dunki are not that impactful, so that they can be remembered. The characters fail to create an emotional bonding with the viewers.
Dunki has a subject which has limited scope for the audience. The ones who are struggling to get a Visa or the ones who have been staying in foreign countries can connect with the film in a better way. Dunki lacks emotional punches which has been Hirani’s success formula. Dunki makes people laugh as well as cry, but the powerful conviction is missing.
Dunki is that film where you will start to lose your interest because of the treatment given to it and will end up missing some important scenes, without caring much about it. Presenting a normal scene in an extraordinary way has always been USP of Rajkumar Hirani’s films, but in Dunki everything seems to be forced.
The expectations which people had from the duo of Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani were huge and this is an epic disappointment. Had Hirani not focused much on the love story part and not tried to copy things from his previous films, Dunki would have been a Classic. Dunki has patriotism, but it never goes well with the narrative. Dunki has zero repeat value.
Overall Dunki is a strictly average film. Dunki is a film that serves as a disappointment to fans of both SRK as well as Hirani and will be completely rejected by neutrals. Dunki should be watched with very less expectations.
Rating – 2.5/5*
