Dhadak Is A Simple Tale Told In A Beautiful Way
Banner: Dharma Productions & Zee Studios
Producer: Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar & Apoorva Mehta
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Star Cast: Ishaan Khattar, Janhvi Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Ankit Bisht, Shridhar Watsar, Kshitij Kumar, Aishwarya Narkar, Aditya Kumar, Kharaj Mukherjee, Godaan Kumar, Shalini Kapoor, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Hempushpak Arora, Jahnavi Dave, Ishika Gagneja, Balaji Gauri, Manish Singh & Mustakeem
Music: John Stewart Eduri & Ajay – Atul
When Marathi film’s director Nagraj Manjule had presented his 2016 Marathi film Sairat to the audiences, it had left them deeply impacted. But at the same time, they were thoroughly entertained too! The film became a craze in Maharashtra State and also got noticed pan-India. Shashank Khaitan, who has proved his worth with films like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania in the year 2014 & Badrinath Ki Dulhania in the year 2017 decided to take up the task of remaking this flick in Hindi. titled Dhadak, the film is also significant as it marks the long-awaited debut of the late Sridevi’s elder daughter Janhvi Kapoor. Falling in love in India comes with its share of major problems. This is especially true when the lovers belong to diverse castes or religions or regions. Honor killing is still prevalent in many parts of India and so many cases have been reported and talked about so openly in media that it doesn’t even shock us anymore. Dhadak manages to turn out as entertaining as or even better than the Marathi original Sairat.
Dhadak is the story of 2 young souls who fall in love against the restrictions of caste hierarchy. Madhukar Bagla (Ishaan Khatter) belongs to a lower caste in Udaipur, Rajasthan. He’s smitten by Parthvi Singh (Janhvi Kapoor), the daughter of the high-caste politician Ratan Singh (Ashutosh Rana). Parthvi has an intimidating personality but that doesn’t stop Madhukar from making her known that he has feelings for her. Parthvi gets impressed by Madhukar’s bravado and love blossoms between them. Trouble arises when at the birthday celebration of Parthvi’s brother Godaan Kumar (Roop Kumar), Ratan Singh catches Parthvi & Madhukar together. Madhukar & his friends Shridhar Watsar (Purshottam) & Gokul (Ankit Bisht) are taken into police custody while Parthvi is grounded at home. Parthvi however reaches the police station and manages to free Madhukar & his friends. Madhukar & Parthvi escape to Kolkata where they try to start their life afresh.
Dhadak is adapted from Sairat written & directed by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule. Shashank Khaitan’s story is on the same lines as the Marathi blockbuster Sairat with minor tweaks. Shashank Khaitan’s screenplay is very effective. One of the best things about the screenplay is that it’s shorter than Sairat. However the impact is more or less the same. In the 2nd half, the film gets a bit slow but then it was necessary to show the hardships. Shashank Khaitan’s direction complements the script well. He keeps the film very rooted and also tells a very relatable story. In some sequences, he takes the film on another level. For instance, the scene where Madhukar & Parthvi have a showdown on the streets of Kolkata is very well handled. Also he shines in the climax. Shashank Khaitan’s dialogues are simple & funny and even acidic as required.
Though Dhadak is an official remake of Sairat, one should not expect the former to be a scene by scene reworked version of the latter. As a result, there are quite a few changes. Hence even those who have seen Sairat will be in for a surprise. The film begins on a nice note with the food eating competition sequence turning out to be quite interesting. The manner in which Madhukar & Parthvi’s love story develops will surely put a smile on the faces of the viewers. 2 of the sequences stand out here, Madhukar meeting Parthvi at her mansion at night and Madhukar singing an English song for Parthvi. The film goes on a high as soon as Ratan Singh learns about their romance.
Post interval, the film switches tracks as the lovers realize that love is not a bed of roses. But the best is reserved for the finale. It’s a shocker to say the least!
Ajay-Atul’s music is melodious. The title song has a soothing feeling. “Zingaat” is already a rage. “Pehli Baar” is soulful and well shot. “Vaara Re’’ is neatly relegated to the background. John Stewart Eduri’s background score is brilliant and enhances the impact. Vishnu Rao’s cinematography is one of the best things about the film. The locales of Udaipur have been captured like never before. Shashank Tere’s production design is convincing as well as appealing. Monisha R Baldawa’s editing is slick. Manish Malhotra, Natascha Charak & Nikita Mohanty’s costumes are impressive.
Performance wise Ishaan Khatter had already proved his worth with the English Beyond The Clouds directed by Majid Majidi, in which Ishaan khatter had made his debut, and with Dhadak, he proves that he’s definitely here to stay. He’s very confident & looks so endearing in scenes where he’s head over heels in love, especially in the song “‘Pehli Baar”. In the emotional & dramatic scenes, he’s equally efficient. Janhvi Kapoor also does extremely well & exudes a lot of confidence. She handles this difficult role with so much ease and that’s a feat for a newcomer. Definitely, a star is born! Ashutosh Rana is a natural when it comes to negative roles and this one is no different. Shridhar Watsar is extremely hilarious & contributes a lot to the humor quotient. He’s going to be loved by the youth & even single screen audiences. Ankit Bisht is fair but gets overshadowed by the presence of Ishaan Khatter & Shridhar Wtsar. Godaan Kumar is good in the villainous role and leaves a mark in the scene when he’s asked to apologize to the college professor. Aditya Kumar as Devilal gets a limited scope. Ishika Ganeja as Ambika looks lovely and gets noticed. Govind Pandey as Bhagwandas is decent as Madhukar’s father. Shalini Kapoor as Ashadevi & Aishwariya Avinash as Gayatri are fair as the mothers of Parthvi & Madhukar respectively. Manish Verma as Arvind Mama is passable while Kharaj Mukherjee as Sachin Bhowmick is very adorable and would be loved. Shubhadevi Harshal Choksey as Promila Bhowmick looks beautiful and is confident. Balaji Gauri as Sulekhaji Goenka makes a mark in a cameo. Vishwanath Chatterjee as Inspector Shekhawat looks convincing.
Tail Piece: On the whole, Dhadak is a simple tale told in a beautiful way. Despite being a remake of an iconic film, it manages to stand up on its own feet and entertain the audiences thoroughly.
At the box office, the youth is going to savor this flick big time which will ensure its commercial success.
