Dunki - With no action or violence, will Shah Rukh Khan's film become the dark horse of the season?

If the month of December was kicked off by a hyper-masculine 'action' film in the form of 'Animal', the penultimate week of the month will bring along another violent action-heavy film named Salaar. Sure, both films are starkly different from one another in terms of tone and the milieus they each represent, but the term action is operative here. 

While Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal has driven audiences to theatres for its manic, closer-to-life violence, Salaar promises to take the 'larger-than-life' route of its predecessor KGF. 

Caught in between these two big releases is another superstar-led vehicle 'Dunki', which boasts none of the "flammable" traits of the other two. Instead, the film hails the human spirit and moulds it in the form of a trademark Rajkumar Hirani experience - one that proudly brims with sentiments and laughter in equal doses. Dunki, by all means, seems to be that 'tug-at-your-heartstrings' film that family audiences have sought for a while now. 

Would that factor come in handy when the film releases in theatres on December 21? Well, one certainly hopes so and only because when variety wins at the box office, it's a sign of a thriving cinematic community. Audiences are raring to head back into theatres and if the year 2022 was a period of reinitiation for them, 2023 has been all about executing that zest for the big screen. Almost every major release of the year has yielded good results and what's more heartening to see is that it's been a healthy balance of sensibility this time around. 

Would that factor come in handy when the film releases in theatres on December 21? Well, one certainly hopes so and only because when variety wins at the box office, it's a sign of a thriving cinematic community. Audiences are raring to head back into theatres and if the year 2022 was a period of reinitiation for them, 2023 has been all about executing that zest for the big screen. Almost every major release of the year has yielded good results and what's more heartening to see is that it's been a healthy balance of sensibility this time around. 

For every 'Jailer', there was a Ponniyin Selvan (II) and a 'Gadar 2' was aptly balanced out by a 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani'. And fittingly, Hollywood too joined in on the celebrations with Oppenheimer, Barbie and whatnot. 

Coming to Dunki, one could also suppose that Shah Rukh Khan's own huge fandom craves a "feel good" film from the superstar, who is currently on a roll with two back-to-back successes. Both Pathaan and Jawan were lapped up impressively by his fans but are those films up his alley as the family-friendly star, as it were? Maybe not. So, in that vein, a film like 'Dunki' might fill the gap that is becoming more apparent with each passing day.

The only concern at this point, though, seems to be the publicity course that the team Dunki is charting. Having dropped multiple updates thus far including a teaser/trailer and two songs, the makers haven't necessarily got their potential audience talking. However, given how Shah Rukh Khan has operated with his two films, promotions do not seem to be a concern. Thereby, the upcoming film could well prove to be a dark horse at the box office.