REVIEW: ‘Dunki’ Is Simplistic Storytelling Buoyed by Heart and Charisma

2023 has been a watershed year for the indomitable, mythic Shah Rukh Khan, doubling down on box office record-breaking films with Pathaan and Jawan. Yet, his third feature of the year, Dunki, is destined to leave the greatest mark. It’s one of those classic, rousing Bollywood experiences that wants its (inevitably massive) audience to laugh, cry, and feel everything in between with each given scene. Critical thought takes a significant backseat to visceral emotion, a mindset that writer-director Rajkumar Hirani makes insultingly easy to not only embrace but relish.

As is the case with the rest of Hirani’s output, Dunki has no qualms about emotionally manipulating its viewers, rife with over-the-top comedy, melodrama, and dialogue that banks on star power to carry it through—and often, it does. It’s a crowd pleaser that knows exactly what it is, imbuing the right amount of heart, humour, and humanity in its epic tale about legal and illegal immigration and about people reaching for dreams without means. Hirani and company craft a winning formula despite the film’s commentary being far too simplistic and, at times, too blindly nationalistic.

Dunki centers on three misfits—Manu (Taapsee Pannu), Buggu (Vikram Kochhar), and Balli (Anil Grover)—who’ve been ground down to a nub by their impoverished lives in the village of Laltu, Punjab. The year is 1995, and the three want nothing more than to migrate abroad and make something of their lives. Enter ex-soldier Hardayal “Hardy” Singh Dhillon (Khan), who arrives in town to reconnect with the man who saved his life. It’s a suave, heroic introduction we’ve seen from Khan countless times before but elicits the same fiery applause, nonetheless.

Hardy discovers his friend has since passed away, with only his sister Manu and parents remaining at their much-diminished homestead. After hearing about Manu and her friends’ dream of moving to London, he vows to get them there, fuelled by his instant love for her and her brother’s memory.

What ensues is a series of hysterical attempts at securing the all-coveted visa—whether it be pretending to be a student, an athlete, or taking part in a sham marriage. But as funny as these moments are, they also comment on how predatory and exploitative the visa process can be. The foursome becomes part of a growing list of desperate people who are duped out of the little money that they have by shady immigration brokers.

Dunki takes its time in establishing its characters’ varied motivations, flashing back and forth between timelines, immersing us in both heartbreak and hilarity while doing so. The film hits its stride when the foursome enters an IELTS prep class, where they battle with the English language’s inconsistency. “Why fight simplicity?” they ask their teacher, Geetu (Boman Irani), confused by the language’s omission of gendered nouns. It’s a section that’s riotously funny, full of one-liners and catchphrases as they attempt to memorize statements like “I want to go to the lavatory” in the form of bizarre jingles. But it’s also a segment that criticizes the customs and traditions that force others to seek a home abroad, all the while asking: why understanding and kindness never seem to factor into the exam’s equation?

A great Vicky Kaushal performance anchors that question. His performance as Sukhi is labeled as a special appearance, but it’s much more impactful than that. His weary visage and forlorn stares embody a man who is as determined as he is helpless— hedging his love life on a speaking test he has no chance of passing. Said test is easily Dunki’s greatest sequence, where the band relies on a seemingly foolproof statement devised by Hardy to disastrous results. It’s an impeccably edited moment, maintaining a rapid-fire pace that never lets up on gut-busting laughs and on the strings tugging at the heart.

Viewing such a sequence in the type of Western nation these characters are struggling to enter, surrounded by people who had to pass the same test to be there, gives Dunki an unintended but stirring power. Hirani taps into universality and relatability that renders this story all the more memorable and moving.

With every legal option exhausted, they resort to using the titular “Dunki” (Donkey) method of immigration, a dangerous, illegal form of border hopping that brings them closer to both London and certain death. It’s here where Dunki takes on a more serious, somber aura that can, at times, wade into an all-too-numbing form of misery. But Khan’s natural, otherworldly form of charisma allows the film to keep its head above water (quite literally in one set piece).

The film’s second half also beautifully highlights the delusion and desperation for a better life, that the dream of safety and security in a new country is seldom the case, where many are forced to “buy, beg, or marry” their way into a chance at citizenship. Humiliation in a foreign land sometimes becomes the only prize for people who have suffered greatly to make it there.

Yet, it’s in this latter half where Dunki’s important commentary makes some substantial missteps. When faced with making a fake asylum case, Hardy remains steadfast in his disapproval, proclaiming his motherland has done nothing to make others fear for their lives. While it may be true in his case, to deny India’s long history of racial strife and unrest is to be dishonest. There’s a foolhardy patriotism that undercuts its message, a naivete that renders Dunki a well-intentioned but mostly superficial look at a deeply complex issue—taking aim at one target while leaving hundreds more unscathed.

Yet, these missteps aren’t enough to sour a deeply enjoyable experience. Though Dunki is mawkish and overly sentimental—sometimes to its detriment—it wears such monikers as badges of honor. Throughout each of its 160 minutes, Dunki’s heart remains true, illuminating an inhumane system with the most exaggerated and romantic of lenses.

Dunki had a limited North American release.