DUNKI – Movie Review | Will a 90’s Raj – Work in Animal Kingdom ‘23?? | Akash Banerjee
When we talk about movies on The Deshbhakt, many of you get upset. You say, talk about the country, politics, democracy, hypocrisy, cover recent events in the parliament, etc. But we forget that movies play a big role in showing the state of society. Which film is doing well and which is not – it shows the situation of our society. Society needs revolution or dictatorship – we can know For example, would angry young man Amitabh be declared anti-national? Treason case on Rang de basanti? PK banned? If I ask all three of them honestly, I might get an
answer of yes. Let’s do a small test…. Kathal, Bheed, Afwaah, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and Joram – How many movies have you seen? Raise your hand. Very few. If this movie was only to be seen in a hall, then answer would be no. These movies are based on our country’s social realities. Politics, police, covid lockdown, fake news, courts, Godman, tribal issues.. All these movies were ignored by the public in 2023. According to the acting, Joram is the best film of the year. Manoj Bajpai should get a national award for this. So you will say,
who is Joram? What Joram? But if I criticize Kerala Story and Animal you will say… This is what I wanted
part entertainment, part education movies. You can’t leave your mind at home in his movies. So, you have to think and feel. Along with entertainment. Like Deshbhakt episode … so please press the subscribe button After action packed Pathaan and Jawan, SRK is back in his usual role in Dunki SRK is Hardy, with the charm of Raj Same old undying love for Manu The audience of 2023 wants a masculinity-driven Vikram Rathore, a Sallu-driven Tiger, or a son Ranvijay or a sweet, 90s-lover-boy Raj. Rajkumar Hirani, die-hard SRK fans, and NRI audiences, no tension there, they will understand Dunki,
they will love the balanced, sensible cinema. But overall, if you talk about the domestic box office, its performance, then I’m not sure. This is not a mass movie. After 2 1000 crore movies, SRK will not have a hat-trick. Let me tell why… Dunky is a film based on a very important topic. The desire to go abroad from India and especially from Punjab, at any cost, because many people see only one way to earn status and money, go abroad. We see so many illegal ways to get a visa. When they don’t get a visa, SRK decides
to take all friends to London at any cost – i won’t reveal the reason… But by difficult method which is called as donkey route in English. But when they reach London, picture takes a turn, takes a twist, talks about a truth, which we don’t discuss often. That why these foreign countries allow us to do so? What jobs do they allow us to do? How they exploit… so there is some educational aspect there in the film. And finally, the heart is Indian. So, what is it that people are drawn to their homeland? Social messaging is there
but it is sometimes preachy. Don’t know how much today’s audience will like it. But NRIs will appreciate this, no doubt, because it is made through that lens. The feeling of homelessness. But the biggest problem is the storyline. It is a bit too long. And you get a bit of a mishmash in the story. You get Swadesh’s character in the film. Pining for the motherland. Longing for the country. And if you go abroad for money, heart is Indian. In one scene, SRK refuses asylum in England because he doesn’t want to say anything bad about his country.
But he went to England with friends risking their lives. Problem is Swades was good … one of SRK’s best but failed at box office – people say it was ahead of its time. It was too mature. Will this be the same with Dunki? You will get full on Veer Zara vibes in Dunki. In this film, SRK is ready to wait whole life for Manu There is some flavor of Kal Ho Naa Ho … but I won’t reveal the whole thing otherwise you will troll me. Jawan and Pathan – both out-and-out mass action film. The problem
comes when you try to make a movie by combining responsible Cinema with Comedy, Little Action, Lots of Emotion. So, you either make a DDLJ type cult hit, PK type movie, or if this mixture is not right, it will become a flop movie like Fan or Zero. There are many elements in Dunki but they don’t fit together. Comedy is forced and the story drags on. And the audience wants action or twist every 15 minutes. Young SRK does not look right and the old SRK is looking a bit old. Many SRK looks and moves feel a bit
jaded. It’s like Aamir Khan in Lal Singh Chaddha. Overall, the movie doesn’t have a smooth flow. There are highs and many lows. So, the audience might not be crazy about this movie. That said, beautiful music, many crying scenes, Vicky Kaushal’s superb acting, limited screen time, but his performance was better than Sam Bahadur. Tapsee and SRK’s chemistry is good, not like with Deepika but decent chemistry. And for topic selection, we will give extra numbers for right selection. Because when the movie ends, it closes with facts and data … so it’s a poignant message It takes guts
to do that… Who makes a movie with such negative and sensitive things? We make episodes on YouTube and people start abusing us. Rajkumar Hirani has guts … he did not compromise with his filmmaking style as per market demand. SRK also has guts to be part of this film. Because this topic is mature, the obsession of going abroad has been shown. There is no blame game in the movie. There is no action. It feels a little dragged and acting is not much. So, I don’t think this movie will be as successful as Pathaan or Jawan. But
if you want lighthearted family entertainment, you can go for it. Keep your expectations for decent cinema, not for mindblowing.
