Shah Rukh Khan in 'Dunki'.
Credit: Red Chillies Entertainment
In the world of Rajkumar Hirani, all the main characters have an uncanny sense of innocence that they bring to life. It changes the course of everyone around them. It was Munna, Rancho, and PK in his earlier films. In Dunki, it is Hardy.
All these characters have a lot of things in common. They may not have the mind for things that are traditionally considered intelligent, but they show unparalleled empathy that guides their way of life. On one look, Dunki may even seem like a mix-match of Hirani’s previous works and easy to put away with a smirk of ‘been there, done that’ argument. However, when thought of as an extension of his way of storytelling that finds meaning in everything through comedy, it makes a tremendous run.
Shah Rukh Khan embodies that archetypal Hirani protagonist who is not as flamboyant as Munna nor as wilfully curious as Rancho. He is just someone who knows how to turn things around in his favour against all odds — fighting soldiers in the desert or just dousing off the rage of mothers. Shah Rukh Khan becomes Hardy effortlessly as he mounts Abhijat Joshi, Kanika Dhillon, and Rajkumar Hirani’s screenplay to bring out the struggle of people living a life of desperation.
A desperation that makes them turn their back on their own country so as to find a living in another. A desperation that they hope to overcome by crossing the border and reaching the land beyond the oceans. Dunki delves into many such ideas with a playful use of humor and emotions that manage to get you closer to the core of this feeling. It gets a bit entangled with too many things happening, making it difficult to provide a micro-release of emotions at times. But, in parts that are meant to pull your heartstrings as a whole, the film doesn’t fail itself.
The film has a sense of old-age romance running through its veins — it reminds you of the epic love story, Veer Zaara. At the end, it is also the resolution to the love story that provides a major release for the entire film and its serious subject matter. Hirani’s storytelling creates a gateway to understanding this complicated feeling of home and identity through a small thread of love and longing. The tragedy that is prevalent in reality is never hidden away due to the film’s light-hearted layering. Rather, the end leaves you with a feeling of loss, which you experience through Hardy. It is the same feeling endowed by the suffering of thousands who went in search of a better life.
Another pertinent moment comes in the courtroom when Hardy denies telling the lie of facing persecution in his country so as to take refuge in the United Kingdom. He says that even though it is in bad shape, it is his country. Hardy hasn’t yet lost hope in his land. He still wants to believe his country will do him good, unlike others who have found new hope in a land far away from home. This is an unrealised dialogue that doesn't get a lot of exploration and is not as well underlined through the choice of portrayal. However, underneath it lies an important core of the story.
If anything, Dunki suffers from not being able to actualise the minute values that are guiding its characters. It is their core, which doesn’t come up completely but just barely touches you. Nevertheless, the moment you think it has lost its grip and is now spiraling downward, the writing again takes a leap and holds itself together. Hirani’s ability to create spectacles through humor does the film good and keeps it from falling apart completely. The poetry that is lost within the words is regained through rhymes that keep it afloat. Hence, the film may not always have a strongly operating core (something that his previous films did), yet it wins you over through other, larger means.
All in all, Dunki is thoughtfully, cheerful, brilliantly acted, and has the most powerful music of the year. The songs manage to reignite the lost sense of poetry. Vicky Kaushal gets the least screen time for his guest appearance but makes you feel the most with his gut-wrenching performance. The film is backed by consistent and strong performances from all actors.