Dunki is a nostalgia trip to 2012 with Raju Hirani and SRK

The maiden Rajkumar Hirani and Shah Rukh Khan collaboration, Dunki, has finally hit theaters, offering a slightly mellow pause from all the punching and exploding car-fests that Indian cinema lovers have witnessed this year.

Dunki is definitely a breather 

The best part of this two-hour and 40-minute film about illegal immigration to London is that the movie does not rely solely on Shah Rukh Khan's stardom and screen presence; instead, it has a route map to follow throughout the entire film.

The long-awaited collaboration between the renowned director Rajkumar Hirani of 3 Idiots fame and the Indian megastar Shah Rukh Khan, Dunki, narrates the story of poor immigrants from Punjab on risky journeys in pursuit of a better life.

Dunki shines with great acting, especially from Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu, who play characters that go beyond being just the hero's love interest and have their very own epitome in the story.

We finally get to see Shah Rukh Khan in his usual element, and that's certainly a sight for sore eyes. SRK holds his role so brilliantly throughout the film that the factor of healthy screen-time distribution amongst all the actors in "Dunki" escapes the viewer's mind.

After two big ‘guns galore’ style movies with Jawan and Pathaan, the actor somehow winks his power of versatility in front of the fans, dancing as a mid-aged lover boy on "Lutt-putt Gaya," to an army man who simply knows his stuff in tense scenarios.

What comes as a treat is Vicky Kaushal's performance in the movie, which is absolutely phenomenal. Within his limited screen-time, Vicky Kaushal has surely carved out one of his best acting performances of his career in Dunki.

More about the story of Dunki

n a small town in Punjab, Dunki tells the story of four people facing challenges who want to move to London for a better life.

Just when they're about to give up, Hardy (played by Shah Rukh), a former army man, helps them achieve their dream through an unusual route. Along the way, Hardy becomes fond of Manu (Taapsee Pannu).

Where the movie missed

While watching Dunki, one would feel that they have just walked through a door that takes them directly back to the 2012-15 era of Bollywood. The feeling of that might be nostalgic but becomes a bit odd for the eyes when it lasts for something as long as two hours 40 minutes.

Dunki makes it seem like Rajkumar Hirani has a specific set of ways through which he can approach the main ‘message’ of his movie and rarely tries to adapt to the modern scenario of cinema.

Throughout the movie, one will get multiple hits of Lage Raho Munna Bhai and PK nostalgia because of the repeated segments of long impactful dialogues for each and every character in the movie.

Though the overall movie forbids you from calling it a “bad one,” one can walk out of the theatre with a satisfied shade but won’t really miss a lot of his or her last three hours.