Rajkumar Hirani reveals Shah Rukh Khan knew Dunki was a “Slow burner”; says, “He always told me not to expect huge initial numbers”

Shah Rukh Khan’s 2023 was nothing short of phenomenal. After a four-year hiatus, he roared back onto the silver screen with not one, but three talked-about films – Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki. While Pathaan and Jawan set the box office ablaze with their high-octane action sequences and crossed the coveted Rs 1,000 crore gross mark globally, Dunki took a different route.

The heartwarming comedy-drama, directed by the acclaimed Rajkumar Hirani, opened to a solid Rs 29.20 crores but relied on word-of-mouth appreciation to steadily climb towards a worldwide box office collection of over Rs. 300 crores.

In a recent exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Hirani revealed a fascinating insight into Khan’s approach to Dunki. Contrary to expectations, the superstar was not anticipating Pathaan-level box office numbers for his Hirani-directed outing. “After doing two back-to-back action films, Shah Rukh was looking forward to Dunki,” Hirani said.

“He was happy doing something different, something heartfelt. He’s a very intelligent man and he knew that the audience was currently drawn to action movies. He always told me not to expect huge initial numbers for Dunki. He knew it was a slow burner, a film that would grow on people and eventually bring families to the theatres. He, more than anyone, was preparing me for this, and that’s exactly what happened. We’ve seen so many families coming together to watch Dunki,” said Hirani.

Dunki features an ensemble cast, with colourful characters portrayed by exceptionally talented actors Boman Irani, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Vikram Kochhar, and Anil Grover, along with Shah Rukh Khan. A JIO Studios, Red Chillies Entertainment, and Rajkumar Hirani Films presentation, produced by Rajkumar Hirani and Gauri Khan, written by Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani, and Kanika Dhillon, Dunki released on the big screen on December 21.

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