The biggest curse for a filmmaker is to be tagged for a style/school of filmmaking. Rajkumar Hirani has finally hit saturation. The phase where your legacy becomes your personal prison.
With Dunki, Hirani flaps his wings and tries to scape new skies of storytelling, to an audience still fixated to his old world. Resulting in an involvement dip in the viewing experience.
The viewer is there to watch “The Hirani Film” – an imaginary blueprint of storytelling defined by two facets – comedy and messaging. Thus, making the film an afterthought in its own preserve, a bystander in its own victory parade.
In this age of dilapidated discourse, Dunki is never given a chance to dissuade it’s detractors. Somehow, the biggest talking point excluded from the discussion is the film itself. Nobody is concerned about the film but Shah Rukh’s hattrick, Hirani’s style and all other optics that doesn’t and shouldn’t matter to either critics or audiences.
Dunki is a good film dwarfed from greatness by its dated humor and uneven pace.
Hirani and Abhijat Joshi have attempted to let their storytelling flair evolve. This isn’t their archetype toon-turns-to-film tomfoolery outing but a rather try out at a slightly more grave, sprightly style of storytelling.
And with the addition of Kanika Dhiilon to the writing crew, the trio seems to get into groove slowly. This is a new writing team with completely different sensibilities from the one that gave us our mass sweetheart Munnabhai.
What this trio falters in is building a coherent and clear universe.
Every story rests on the bedrock of what? Why? How? And occasionally to spice things up, a where? The why in Dunki is never fully addressed.
The four hopeful musketeers want to relocate abroad but their motivations are never clearly defined or understood. A story placed in the 90s, UK couldn’t be the only hopeful hand for fetching greener pastures. The backdrop, core of these characters aren’t thought through and forced into acclimatisation through sloppy humour.
With not much emotional precedence at stake, the eventual thrill-ride doesn’t really enthuse the viewer to invest a pound of emotion or response either.
Reasons why solely Vicky Kaushal’s character has been raking in rave reviews for its backstory isn’t meddled down by comedy or needless jocular treatment. His portrayal, while bearing it’s own light hearted and faint footed moments, isn’t as caricaturish as the rest.
Hence you feel a stab when his chapter concludes. But couldn’t care less. For the uneven pace of the film lags in depth and rushes in width. The narrative has a inherent hurry to hop to the next moment. Alike an excited child amping to unveil all presents at once.
Which brings us to the central flaw.
The “DUNKI” itself is rushed and clogged.
The whole migration diatribe doesn’t exert enough unrest to latch onto your nerves. Losses don’t count, deaths don’t matter seconds later. All the pace and long run up to eventually deliver a half volley.
See, Hirani’s body of work mostly consists of character driven films. This is his first plot driven affair where he tries to blend the patented “Raju Hirani” old world charm with a new world gaze. And that just works in parts. The tactic of resolving pressure situations with comedy doesn’t really help the cause here.
The filmmaker’s tried, tested and triumphant trope of injecting the protagonist into a grim and shaky world as a resolute external force, a saviour lacks impetus as Shah Rukh Khan’s character is not author-backed enough.
The angel from nowhere shtick has worn out and run out of it’s novelty period. I would however like to see more of Tapsee Pannu and SRK together, perhaps in a full fledged comedy or romance movie for it is their sincerity and prowess the saves Dunki from being a dud.
Dunki is a victim of it’s own hype. Hirani is that one class topper, first bencher you don’t expect to flunk. Forget flunk, even a moderate score for him is akin to a failure.
When Virat Kohli had conditioned the nation to him scoring centuries every other sunrise, even his 50s and 60s made him look out of touch.
SRK, Hirani, Kohli, these are folks whose 10% equals rest of the industry’s 90%. So them not going bonkers seems a bit meh and morose but doesn’t make their outing a failed crusade.
If films like Jawan, Pathaan and Gadar 2 are considered good films in today’s climate, Dunki too deserves it’s own standing. For the stigma that only upbeat, pulsating action will work on big screens is slowly robbing the audiences of variety.
Dunki could’ve been another Hirani Heera if written better but has to settle as a good, one time watch. Atleast Hirani falters by trying something new and not succumbing to his stereotypes. Making Dunki the bullet that Rajkumar Hirani bit to initiate change in his course.
Funny, how a story about homesickness and homecoming now warrants the maker to find a new home, a new voice and a new Rajkumar Hirani universe. And it’s just a matter of time.
