'Dunki' review: Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu shine in Bollywood satire

2 days ago

Illegal immigration and unauthorized cross-border migrant crossings are grim issues, but trust director Rajkumar Hirani to humanize them with an emotionally engaging tale like ‘Dunki.’ He gives a face and voice to all those all-or-nothing desperate souls who would go to any lengths for a better life in a foreign land without reducing it to didactic, statistic-driven drivel.

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Transcript

00:00The best thing about this film is that Rajkumar Hirani, who's known for his movies like Munnabai,

00:05MBBS, he takes on a very serious issue such as illegal immigration and treats it with a very

00:10deft hand. Good afternoon, this is Manjusha Radhakrishnan, the entertainment editor of

00:17Gulf News. I'm here with the first day first show review of Dunkey, starring Shah Rukh Khan,

00:22Tapsee Pannu, Anil Grover, Vikram Kochhar and a host of other talents including Vicky Kaushal.

00:29It's official, Bollywood has closed 2023 with a big bang because we have Rajkumar Hirani

00:35rolling out a very engaging tale about illegal immigration and undocumented migrant workers.

00:42We are talking about how a few 20-somethings from Punjab, they dream of going to the UK for

00:48a better life and a better future. They are willing to go to any lengths to reach the UK.

00:54They believe that once they reach the UK through hook or crook, they'll have a better life,

00:58they will be able to provide better for their families. Now, this immigration, this kind of

01:03donkey flights that people take when nefarious agents tell you that you can go by, you can go

01:09trekking, you can go through across deserts, oceans and smelly containers to reach your

01:14promised land is often what thousands of desperate people do around the globe.

01:20The best thing about this film is that Rajkumar Hirani, who's known for his movies like Munnabai,

01:25MBBS, he takes on a very serious issue such as illegal immigration and treats it with a very

01:31deft hand. He never talks down on his viewers for instance, he's never patronising in his tone,

01:37he takes a complicated subject like illegal immigration and breaks it down and makes it a

01:42very humanising tale. One of the best parts about this movie is that although this movie is about

01:47illegal immigrants, Rajkumar Hirani does a fantastic job of humanising them. Every face,

01:54I mean the tragedy has a face, their desperation has a face and that's what I love best about the

02:00film. When it comes to performances, I know Shah Rukh Khan spearheads this film but I think every

02:06other actor is equally good. We have Taapsee Pannu, we have Anil Grover, we have Vikram

02:12Kochar, we have Boman Irani, all of them pulling their weights. I mean at some point we forget that

02:18this is not a movie where Shah Rukh Khan the superstar is showcased, it's more about the actor

02:23in him. He plays an ex-army man, Hadi Singh, who's unwittingly drawn into this bunch of

02:30motley crew who want to somehow reach the UK. He is an ex-army man, extremely proud of his country,

02:36he doesn't want to leave India but somehow he gets pulled into their mess and the movie chronicles

02:42their tough times to go to the UK and once they reach the UK, how does their life pan out.

02:47The tale doesn't end with them reaching the UK, it continues with what's life like for an

02:52illegal and an undocumented immigrant. They don't have an identity, they don't have a face.

02:58Taapsee Pannu, Anil Grover, all of these actors do such a commendable job of humanising that

03:05tragedy and I thought that was the best part. The romance between Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee

03:09Pannu may feel a bit forced and in fact there are some parts where for instance Shah Rukh Khan

03:14has been de-aged, like has been made to look younger through digital altering. That may

03:20grate on your eyes but otherwise it's a very enjoyable tale. The story is very, very engaging,

03:25at no point was I bored and I think this is one of the most engaging films of the year and one

03:31of the best parts about this film is like just like how Munnabai or Sanju etc was you know

03:36entertaining, this movie is also entertaining from the start to the finish. At no point did I look

03:41into my phone, was I distracted so that's a great sign of a good movie. When it comes to

03:46performances as well, Vicky Kaushal had my heart. He just had an extended cameo as this very

03:51troubled young man Sukhi who wants to go to the UK to save his ex-girlfriend from domestic abuse.

03:57The kind of end that he has is just stirring and you know it breaks your heart. I think Vicky

04:02Kaushal was in top form, even with limited screen presence he does a great job and Shah Rukh Khan

04:07let me tell you that man has been on a roll, he has enjoyed such an incredible year and I think

04:12he's the man with the Midas touch as we say so even with Dunkey he seems to have hit gold.

04:19Tapsee Pannu and the other actors are in great form as well. In fact, if you're looking for a

04:24very family-friendly entertainer this year to close 2023 then Dunkey is a great option. I have

04:31gone with four out of five. For my full review go to gulfnews.com

'Dunki' review: Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu shine in Bollywood satire

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