I have been an admirer of Rajkumar Hirani's template - of showing harsh realities through dark humour. Whether it is the Munnabhai series, 3 Idiots or Pk, I have enjoyed Hirani’s films.
I had high expectations from Dunki as well. The first half was entertaining with quintessential Hirani humour. I wanted the film to carry that forward but it did not happen. The character arcs of Hardy (Shahrukh Khan) and Gulati (Boman Irani) were the weakest. Tapsee’s, Manu was the true hero of the story with her agency as an independent person and the choices she made.
With a lack of a dramatic negative character, the story became redundant in the second half. I did not find Hardy’s reasons and motivations for doing Dunki, good enough and believable. The hard-hitting journey which was shown realistically did not fit Hirani’s world.
I felt like watching two films.
The message that the film tried to give was also not convincing. It seemed forced and failed to touch any cord or evoke any sensitivity.
The film’s subject was like the Oscar-winning Korean film “Parasite.” However, the treatment did not do justice to it. I went with great hopes and came out somewhat disappointed.