Indian star Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki is one of the biggest films closing the year 2023 for Bollywood. The film scored below expectations at the ticket windows on the first day of the release on December 21. Directed and edited by Rajkumar Hirani, the film made $3.4 million nett collections in India while the global gross score for day one of Dunki stood at $6.9 million.
After making record opening collections with two films earlier this year, Dunki proved to be Khan’s lowest opening this year. Jawan made an opening collection of $15.5 million while Pathaan opened with a worldwide gross score of $13 million. Dunki is also Khan’s fourth highest opener ever after Jawan, Pathaan and Chennai Express.
While it had a wide release, Dunki also ranks low on the list of highest opening Hindi films of 2023. It is the ninth highest-opening Hindi film of the year 2023. Khan’s Jawan and Pathaan made $7.3 million and $6.6 million opening collections, respectively, in the domestic country. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna and Anil Kapoor in lead roles, made an opening collection of $6.1 million in India. Salman Khan’s Tiger 3 opened with $4.9 million and Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 made an opening collection of $4.6 million. Prabhas-starrer Adipurush made $3.8 million while Brahmastra Part One Shiva made $3.6 million.
The collections of Dunki took slight dip on the second day of the release as it was also a working day. The film also faced competition from the Telugu film Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, which released in five Indian languages including Hindi. The total nett collections of the film in India after two days at the ticket windows fell short of $6 million. The global gross for Dunki stood at $12.3 million at the end of day two, Friday.
Ahead of the releases, media reports claimed dispute amongst the distributors over sharing of screens as Dunki and Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire were set to hit theatres just a day apart. Reports claimed that makers alleged multiplex chains were favouring Khan’s film. PVR-INOX, one of the biggest cinema chain in India, denied the reports in a press statement a day before the release.
Dunki revolves around a group of Indians aspiring to go to London for a better life in the era right after the country achieved Independence from the British rule. Khan plays the lead role of a former soldier in the group of friends. Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Vikram Kochhar and Anil Grover complete the group. Boman Irani essays the role of a tutor. Gurpreet Ghuggi and Rohitashv Gaur are seen in interesting cameos in the film.
Co-written by Abhijaat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon, and director Hirani, Dunki is a tale of the hardships that Indians faced after gaining freedom from foreign rule, aspirations of the youth, and love and friendship.
Hirani, who has made films that are considered milestones in Hindi cinema, has not created the same magic with his new project. Having made movies such 3 Idiots, Munnabhai MBBS and PK, Hirani fails to build relatable emotinal graph of the characters and the events. The characters in his new film emote more than the audience could feel. Dunki does not manage to soak in the emotions and empathy of the audience soon enough. For the entire first half, and a little more, there is a stark awareness of a story being played out onscreen.
Kaushal’s track, character arc, as well as performance are the brightest spots in the film. There are many noble intentions and issues clearly visibe in Dunki but they rarely translated into an enriching ad engrossing cinematic experience.
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