Absar Ahmad
Film Reviewer & Founder of The World of Movies |
Covering Hollywood, Bollywood, and World Cinema since 2015.
The fear of losing your job does not disappear just because you work hard. I watched Dhunki while people I know were dealing with layoffs, and its uncertainty felt painfully close. What stayed with me was how honestly it treated the wish to build a different life.
Anish Shah’s 2019 Gujarati film follows Nikunj and Shreya as they attempt to build a food business. I connected with their struggles because the problems surrounding their work felt familiar. For its honest story, acting, and realistic cinematography, Dhunki earns a 9/10 from me.
The Pressure Comes From Familiar Places
Nikunj faces more than the difficulty of earning through his cooking. The vegetarian and nonvegetarian divide he encounters brings social judgment into his attempt to work, while pressure from his wife and in-laws makes things harder at home. These details make his struggle feel rooted in the society he actually lives in.
Shreya faces another version of that pressure as she weighs her ambitions against expectations surrounding her fiancé and future in-laws. Her work begins affecting the life others expect her to accept. That conflict feels believable because pursuing a career can also mean negotiating how much independence a family will allow you.
The setting may be Gujarat, but I could recognize these attitudes in other parts of India. Whether someone lives in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, or Maharashtra, family expectations can follow them into decisions about work. The film earns my investment by making those pressures part of its characters’ daily lives.
Pratik Gandhi Makes Nikunj Feel Like One of Us
Before Scam 1992 brought Pratik Gandhi wider recognition, Dhunki already showed how naturally he could inhabit a character. Watching Nikunj, I kept feeling that this could be one of us. Gandhi makes it easy to care about his decisions because I recognize the person trying to make them.
Deeksha Joshi gives Shreya a presence that matters just as much to the film. Her conflict between professional ambition and relationship expectations gives her a struggle of her own. I cared about what continuing with the business would mean for her, rather than seeing her only as Nikunj’s business partner.
Kaushambi Bhatt as Ankita and Vishal Shah as Hardik also contribute to that sense of familiarity. Their performances make the pressure within these relationships convincing, even when a character’s expectations feel unfair. Together, the cast helps the story hold my attention through situations that could easily have felt exaggerated.
Images and Music That Belong to the Story
The realistic cinematography contributes to the feeling that these people occupy a world I recognize. I found the visual treatment suited to a story about work and the pressure surrounding it. That consistency helps the emotions feel close rather than distant. The music complements the story, and I enjoyed the songs too. They fit the experience of watching these characters deal with hope and disappointment. Alongside the performances and cinematography, the music helps sustain the emotional connection.
The Slow Pace Tests Your Patience
My main complaint is that Dhunki drags in places. At over two hours, it sometimes takes longer than I wanted to move forward. I also wondered how much my own shrinking patience with longer films affected that response. Still, an honest story cannot excuse every slow stretch. Some tightening would have made this an easier film to sit through without weakening its emotional effect. The characters kept me invested, but I did notice the length.
Where to Watch Dhunki Online
You can watch the full Dhunki movie online on Amazon Prime Video in India. The service lists Gujarati audio and English subtitles. Watch Dhunki on Prime Video with a membership.
Hope With Uncertainty Still Attached
I finished Dhunki feeling motivated, but sadness and uncertainty stayed with me too. With people around me losing jobs, I could not separate its story from the question of whose turn might come next. Hard work matters, yet none of us can control every decision that affects our livelihood.
That is why the film means more to me than a simple push to follow a dream. Its people have to live with the consequences of wanting something different. I left thinking about how much courage an ordinary working day can demand, even before someone decides to change their life.
Dhunki (2019) brings an honest story to life through natural performances by Pratik Gandhi and Deeksha Joshi. Its career dilemmas and family pressures feel familiar, while the music and realistic cinematography support the emotions. The slow pacing tests your patience, but the film leaves you with a mix of motivation, sadness, and uncertainty that stays beyond the credits.
