'Dunki' review: SRK, Rajkumar Hirani deliver overlong, predictable film
What's the story
When you watch a Rajkumar Hirani film, you expect a bite of everything: romance, comedy, drama, and strong emotional overtones.
On paper, Dunki contains everything, but on screen, everything becomes a messed-up, hodgepodge affair, too wobbly and wayward, with no surprise elements, and a straight, predictable storyline.
Hirani's weakest work yet, it cannot be saved by anything—or anyone—not even Shah Rukh Khan.
Plot
This is what happens in 'Dunki'
As you already know from the trailer, the story revolves around Manu (Taapsee Pannu), Hardy (Khan), Sukhee (Vicky Kaushal), Balli (Anil Grover), and Buggu (Vikram Kochhar).
All of them have their own reasons for traveling to England, but since English isn't their strong suit, their visas are repeatedly denied.
Then, led by Hardy, they reach England illegally through the "donkey route."
#1
The 'funny' aspects completely fail to land
Hirani divides the film into two halves tonally: the first one, "humorous," and the second one, emotional.
Except, this "comedy" is jarring, juvenile, misplaced, and cringe-inducing, to the point that I couldn't wait for these supposed "jokes" to wrap up.
That kind of humor would have worked 10 years back, but not in this day and age.
Scatological humor is a risky terrain, anyway.
#2
More on its awkward, irritating humor
To add more to the aforementioned point, some of these jokes seem like the writing team picked the first five jokes they received on WhatsApp and inserted them into the film.
If I wanted to read forwarded jokes, I would simply look at my phone, not at the silver screen.
The entire "funny" segment made me feel like a stranger in Hirani's bizarre world.
#3
The de-aging does not help SRK
At several points, it seems like Dunki is not a finished product, but perhaps a low-effort spoof, a parody of its own.
It thinks it's on the right track consistently, but if I were watching it on TV, I would keep switching between channels.
Also, SRK's de-aging looks atrociously awkward; it brought back the memories of Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha—another failed de-aging experiment.
#4
Hirani's forte, emotions, too seems misplaced
Barring a few scenes, there is nothing that works for Dunki and despite Hirani giving ample scope to the supporting actors, the emotional beats simply don't land.
The film trudges on, with no purpose or semblance of sanity, and goes so out of hand that it becomes impossible to take it seriously or believe it's from the same man who made Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
#5
Why is SRK romancing someone so younger than him?
One of my biggest gripes with Dunki: Why is a 58-year-old SRK romancing a 36-year-old Pannu? It's awkward, cringe, and grating, to say the least, and I kept hoping against hope that theirs would remain a friendship only, but, I couldn't be more wrong.
It's a larger problem in Bollywood—roles for women dry up after a certain age; for men, they just keep coming.
#6
Lacks excitement and doesn't consistently entertain
Another aspect that makes Dunki sag so much is that it's bereft of any intrigue or excitement; the story is explained to us through exposition at multiple points which kills the possibility of us doing any math.
Except for Sukhee's story, the others lack emotional profundity, so it's tough to feel for any character, laugh or cry with them.
Everything feels wooden and artificial.
#7
Saving grace: The interval block featuring Kaushal
The film finally strides over its negative aspects and comes to life when it crawls closer to the interval.
It is at this point that you see Hirani in his top form, traversing in the territory he has built a reputation for.
He makes the utmost usage of Kaushal's special appearance and the interval block lends significant emotional heft to the otherwise flimsy film.
#8
More on Kaushal's performance
Kaushal hands in a remarkable performance and his was the only backstory I cared for, despite him having the shortest runtime in the ensemble.
He acts not just through the way he delivers his lines but also through his eyes and the entire face, and the interval block involving him was among the very few moments when I completely surrendered myself to Dunki.
Verdict
Strictly for SRK fans; others might feel bored
Dunki could have been a different, much better film if the screenplay were tighter, but as it currently stands, it feels overlong, drab, and fails to entertain.
It's definitely pleasing to see SRK in a drama after two back-to-back actioners in 2023, but superstars cannot always salvage sinking ships.
This is a journey I wouldn't like to go on again.
Verdict: 2/5 stars.