The main strength of Dunky, directed and edited by Rajkumar Hirani, lies in the fact that it does not rely solely on the phenomenal star power of Shah Rukh Khan. It cannot be denied that this film would not have been what it is without the unique charisma of the lead actor. But its charm stems equally from the slam-dunk solid script.
Written by Hirani, Abhijat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon, ‘Dinky’ tackles the dangers of illegal immigration with infectious joy, poignant drama and a clear awareness of the moral and legal questions associated with entering a foreign country without a visa.
The circularity of the story highlights all the confusions that plague the Prodigal as they oscillate between their aspirations and the realities of the path they have chosen. It is informed with almost perfect structural roundness, yet it examines the fears and misgivings of those who intend to flee their land and seek a new life surrounded by strangers in a distant land.
The first half of Donkey – the film begins with an old woman following herself to a London hospital and arriving at an immigration lawyer’s office with a plea for help – is consistently lively and often funny. The second segment of the 16-minute film presents a more serious tone.
A dangerous journey without a map across rivers, deserts, snow-covered mountains and forests stretching to the horizon brings death and disaster. All this happens after the protagonist and his companions have tried every trick in the book to crack the IELTS system.
Donkey is buoyed by a series of flawless performances, with the lead actor and Taapsee Pannu playing a woman who is more than just the hero’s romantic interest, leading the way through the ups and downs – the latter in fact. . Over – Driven by the characters’ repeated leaps of faith into unknown territories and equally foreign lands.
At the core of the plot is a love story that surprises many. But doing this does not require much effort. It strikes a fine balance between heart, mind and soul, crafting an emotionally engaging story with its appropriate twists that doesn’t strain credibility beyond reasonable limits.
Dunky, co-produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, makes separate (if not equal in terms of screen time) space for four important characters – the never-say-die former soldier Hardayal “Hardy” Dhillon (SRK), Manu Randhawa. (Taapsee Pannu), Buggu Lakhanpal (Vikram Kochhar) and Balli Kakkar (Anil Grover).
Each of them has a story, and the importance of each story exceeds the footage given to it because they all contribute significantly to the tapestry of experiences and impulses that make up the story.
Buggu’s mother works as a security guard in a factory that makes household stoves. Balli’s mother does small tailoring work to support the family. And due to inability to repay the loan, Manu’s house has been taken away.
The film takes place between the present and the mid-1990s and revolves around a trio of young and restless residents of Laltu, Punjab. Manu, Buggu and Balli dream of going to London, no matter what. They are determined to get out of the poverty they are stuck in.
Of the three, one has to literally break the bank to fulfill his aspirations, the other has to learn the basics of wrestling to apply for a visa in the sports category and they all have to go through a spoken English training program run by Geetu Gulati (Boman). Are trained in the academy. , Will have to take admission. Irani), who claims the route to England would be “a piece of cake”.
Their efforts fail miserably. Some lives are lost, money is wasted and the moves learned in the wrestling ring become useless when it really matters.
Luckily for the three wanderers, Hardy Dhillon, an extraordinary entrepreneur from Pathankot, comes among them with a specific personal objective and then becomes their go-to person for everything except English speaking skills.
Their fall into a wild scheme exposes them to a world in which trigger-happy border guards have no qualms about losing their lives in the line of duty.
Focusing on the trials and tribulations of undocumented immigrants and exploring how departure, destination, and displacement play out in the lives of illegals, the film explores how “dinky” (colloquial for illegal border ) What is. is doing, offers an entertaining but serious take on it. Which also includes going to Europe in search of a better life.
If parts of the film articulate known truths and come close to impressive notes, Dinky also has passages marked by commendable insight with the right mix of emotion and intelligence. These features prevent the story’s somewhat pat pattern from diminishing the overall impact of the journey that Hardy, Manu, Buggu and Bally undertake at grave risk to their lives.
One could say that Dinky sometimes has a tendency to make not only li The desire of some people to flee their village and country in search of greener pastures further afield, but also the audacity of those desperate to bypass the visa system and enter Britain is romanticized as a special rebellion against the British Is. in the Indian subcontinent for a century. Mercifully, the characters – and the movie – come full circle and hold out any false hope.
This is Rajkumar Hirani’s film. It is a joy to see the ridiculous side of the plight of people struggling in a world where the rule book matters more than the feelings and needs of human beings, where the fences built by nations put the poor at an irreparable disadvantage whose education And there is little access to money. , Which leads to desperate and often fatal measures.
The persona that Shah Rukh Khan adopts in Dunky is very different from the characters he played in his previous two releases of the year. He disguises himself as a benevolent troubleshooter who risks death and exile for the truth.
As a young man who was left destitute and high and dry due to the vagaries of fate and as an old villager who has been there and done that but has not lost his zest for life, he has a lot of charm. And presents an act with delight. Taapsee Pannu is pitch-perfect. She matches SRK’s moves with impressive enthusiasm. This is no mean achievement.
In a memorable special appearance, Vicky Kaushal – he is cast as a man who has an urgent reason to seek a visa to travel to the UK – makes a strong impression.
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Vikram Kochhar and Anil Grover make the most of their roles in a film that (unlike the average star-driven Bollywood vehicle) doesn’t push them into the background.
Dinky doesn’t really break boundaries but the path she takes takes her in the right direction.