Rajkumar Hirani Says Shah Rukh Khan Knew Dunki Wouldn't Open Like Jawan; 'He Kept Telling Me...'

Rajkumar Hirani's recent cinematic venture, Dunki, starring Shah Rukh Khan, has emerged as a notable success at the box office, steadily approaching the impressive milestone of Rs 400 crore in worldwide gross. Even though Dunki has put out significant numbers at the box office, it is nowhere near SRK's previous juggernaut releases, Jawan and Pathaan.

Hirani, in an interview with DNA, said that Shah Rukh knew that Dunki wouldn't open at the box office like Jawan. Hirani said that he was happy with Dunki being perceived as a clutter breaker, standing out as the sole non action film this year with the potential to reach the coveted Rs 400 crore mark.

He said, "The best comment I am getting is that in a time when all action is happening, you have tried to do a content film. All that makes us happy." Acknowledging Shah Rukh Khan's transition from action hero roles to a simple character unfamiliar with English in Dunki, Hirani admires the actor's bravery in embracing such a significant departure from his typical hero image.

The director said, "Definitely, for Shah Rukh, it was very brave to pick a film like this where he is completely stripped off his hero image and be a simple person who doesn’t even know English." Hirani reveals that Shah Rukh Khan was realistic about Dunki's box office numbers, consistently cautioning throughout the journey not to expect an opening like Jawan.

The filmmaker said, "Throughout the journey, he kept telling me that don’t expect this to open like Jawan. It will not. He said I have done these films before so we should be realistic. There will be a different audience for this kind of a film, which is exactly how it happened. I find him brave to be able to do this.

Then it becomes more of a social media conversation where people say ‘it should have been like this’. But I feel you should be fearless about and believe in the stories you want to tell.".