SRK's fake accent to use of de-ageing tech: Why 'Dunki' appears to be doomed

MUMBAI: The trailer of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film ‘Dunki’ was unveiled recently and while the anticipation for the film was high for the film before the trailer release, the trailer was a complete let down as it failed to engage the audience with the film’s narrative.

SRK’s Punjabi accent in the trailer looks forced, to begin with. One would expect no mistake from an actor of SRK’s calibre in this department given his theatre background and his tremendous grip on voice-modulation and the accent but this time it was a complete miss as it looks like in order to reach out to a larger set of audience, the authenticity is compromised.

Another technical mistake in the trailer is the usage of the Indian railway locomotive WDP4D along with LHB coaches when SRK says in voice-over that he landed in Laltu in 1995. However, the WDP4D class of locomotives were launched in June 2001 and the first LHB coach was introduced in the Indian Railways network in December 2003.

The comical elements in the trailer too are a let down as they fail to tickle the funny bone be it the English coaching sequence or the dialogue exchange between the characters who are there to bring the comic relief.

Actress Taapsee Pannu’s performance seems monotonous as she banks upon her signature expressions further alienating the audience from the trailer.

However, the last straw is the de-ageing done on SRK’s character. While it worked in ‘Jawan’, here it seems to have missed it by miles.

Such an underwhelming trailer poses the strong possibility for the film to receive a cold response at the box-office more so when the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer ‘Animal’ is roaring at the box-office.