Art & Entertainment

‘Dunki’: Here’s What Rajkumar Hirani And Shah Rukh Khan Have To Say About The Christmas Release

At a recent fan event for the film ‘Dunki’, Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani came together and discussed a bit about how the film came into being. Here are a few snippets from the evening.

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Rajkumar Hirani, Shah Rukh Khan
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Recently the first Drop 1 of ‘Dunki’ was done on Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday. The first drop of the film has taken social media by craze and people from all over want to know more and more about the film as the days pass by.

At a fan event recently the two main people behind ‘Dunki’ – Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani were seen sharing some special things about the film. Here are a few snippets from the candid conversation:

Rajkumar Hirani On ‘Dunki’ And SRK

Rajkumar Hirani was overwhelmed by seeing the love of the fans for Shah Rukh. He said at the fan meet, “It’s heartwarming to see so much affection”. Looking at a full house of fans, Mr Hirani joke, “Ye toh vaise hi houseful lag raha hai! (The film already seems to be houseful). Thank you so much for showering so much love on ‘Shah Rukh’ and ‘Dunki’.”

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Rajkumar Hirani On Noticing SRK First Time In ‘Circus’

He also shared the first time that he thought about casting Shah Rukh in his movie. And, at the time, Hirani had not even become a film director. “I used to study at a film institute and I used to wonder, ‘I am graduating from here, but who would work with me?’ I used to look at big stars like Bachchan sahab and think, ‘Why would a star like him work with me?’ So, one day, in my hostel’s TV room, I was watching ‘Circus’. In a particular scene, a young actor was performing at a platform. It was a big monologue. I thought, ‘Who is this guy? This is so wonderful. He is not a big actor. I can take him in my film after I graduate’,” shared Hirani. “However, I couldn’t work with Shah Rukh after I graduated from the film institute. It took me two years to graduate from the film institute and by that time SRK had become a big star.”

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Shah Rukh Khan On Rajkumar Hirani And Him Finally Getting Together For Dunki

SRK said, “So, when he narrated ‘Dunki’, I caught him in the Covid-19 bubble and told him not to go away this time.” SRK, who stood beside him on the stage, joked how he was unaware of how big a filmmaker he was. Recalling the times when he was offered ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ and ‘3 Idiots’, Shah Rukh Khan shared, “When Raju was narrating ‘Munna Bhai’ to me, I thought, ‘naya director hai kar hi lega agar main bolunga 6-8 mahine baad karenge (He is a new director, he will agree if I will tell him that I will do it after 6-8 months). So, I told him I would do it after 9 months. But he went away. Then when he came for ‘3 Idiots’, I again thought, how big he would have become. Then again, he went away. That is when I decided ki ab chance nahi lena. So, when he narrated ‘Dunki’, I caught him in the Covid-19 bubble and told him not to go away this time. We became so big for each other that it took us some time to come together. So, during Covid-19 pandemic, I caught him in the bubble and said, ‘Please don’t go away this time, make this film (‘Dunki’) with me’. I didn’t even let Raju meet other heroes, SRK said jokingly. I’m still not allowing him. You never know he might add someone in a guest appearance.”

SRK Said, “‘Dunki’ Is Meant To Be More Entertaining Than Pathaan And Jawan, With A Simplicity That Captures The Heart”

Talking more about the film, SRK said, “‘Dunki’ is a film that speaks volumes. It is meant to be more entertaining than Pathaan and Jawan, with a simplicity that captures the heart. While the Drop 1 intentionally doesn’t revealed much, we have Drop 2 and Drop 3 coming soon to introduce what I am doing in the film, as well as Taapsee’s role.”

“His (Rajkumar Hirani) Films Are Unique In That The Story Takes The Lead,” Says SRK

Adding further, SRK said, “Working with Raju sir (Rajkumar Hirani) has been a wonderful experience. His films are unique in that the story takes the lead, rather than any particular actor. Of course, in ‘Dunki’ I will bring dance, romance, and song to the screen. It’s been years since I’ve had the opportunity to romance in a film, and the romance in ‘Dunki’ is truly beautiful.”

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Written by Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani and Kanika Dhillon, ‘Dunki’ is slated to release this Christmas.

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