Dhadak
Movie
Public
REVIEW:
Jhanvi
Kapoor
|
Ishaan
Khatter
|
Karan
Johar
|Shashank
Khaitan|FilmiBeat
Rating:
2.5/5
Star
Cast:
Janhvi
Kapoor,
Ishaan
Khatter,
Aditya
Kumar,
Kharaj
Mukherjee,
Ashutosh
Rana
Director:
Shashank
Khaitan
Remakes
are
a
difficult
path
to
tread
upon.
Especially
if
its
premise
is
borrowed
from
a
blockbuster
film
like
Sairat
which
wasn't
just
a
Marathi
film
but
had
eventually
turned
into
a
phenomenon.
When
Shashank
Khaitan
chose
to
adapt
this
film
as
Dhadak,
people
expressed
divided
opinions.
Some
felt
the
classic
shouldn't
be
touched,
others
said
a
retelling
of
the
tale
on
a
larger
canvas
would
work
in
its
favour.
So,
does
the
film-maker
succeed
in
winning
over
your
hearts?
Well,
the
answer
is
both
yes
and
no.
Instead
of
the
interiors
of
Maharashtra,
Shashank's
doomed
love
story
shifts
its
base
to
Udaipur,
Rajasthan
where
Madhukar
(Ishaan
Khatter)
loses
his
heart
to
an
upper-caste
girl
Parthavi
(Janhvi
Kapoor)
who
is
the
daughter
of
an
affluent
political
kingpin.
Eventually,
she
reciprocates
his
feelings.
While
the
young
hearts
beat
for
each
other,
the
caste
divide
raises
its
ugly
head
and
forces
them
to
take
a
bold
step
against
the
societal
norms.
Will
their
forbidden
love
stand
the
test
of
time?
More
importantly,
will
they
have
a
happily
ever
after?
Tragic
stories
of
doomed
love
have
always
been
popular
in
Hindi
cinema.
But
rarely
does
one
get
to
watch
a
film
which
talks
about
love
between
castes!
You
can
almost
count
them
on
your
fingertips-
Masaan,
Ankur,
Acchut
Kanya
amongst
the
few
ones.
Another
film
is
Bimal
Roy's
1959
classic
'Sujata' which
had
a
Dalit
girl
(Nutan)
falling
in
love
with
a
Brahmin
boy
(Sunil
Dutt).
Of
course,
this
film
had
the
prejudice
overcome
by
the
lovers
towards
the
end.
In
that
way,
Dhadak
is
brave
enough
to
address
inter-caste
love
in
a
more
realistic
way.
But
before
you
break
into
cheers,
it
breaks
my
heart
to
say
that
while
Dhadak
is
a
well-intent
film,
it
eventually
succumbs
to
the
usual
rich
girl-poor
guy
trope.
Shashank
ends
up
brushing
the
topic
of
caste
under
the
rug
for
most
of
the
time
until
the
film
reaches
the
climax.
On
the
other
hand,
that's
exactly
where
Sairat
scored
brownie
points.
Also,
the
filmmaker
skipped
a
few
sequences
from
the
original
which
I
felt
was
crucial
to
depict
Madhukar
and
Parthavi's
starkly
contrast
personalities
and
upbringing.
You
crave
for
Sairat's
rawness
and
simplicity
in
Ishaan
Khatter-Janhvi
Kapoor
starrer
Dhadak
but
find
none!
The
frothy
first
half
does
make
for
an
engaging
watch
for
Ishaan's
lovely
camaraderie
with
his
friends
and
his
budding
romance
with
Janhvi.
But
post
interval,
when
the
film
is
supposed
to
go
high
on
intensity,
things
start
crumbling.
The
depressing
reality
is
supposed
to
hit
you
hard.
But
oops,
we
ain't
so
lucky
on
that
front!
SPOILER
ALERT-
Shashank
tweaks
the
climax
to
prevent
the
film
from
being
a
replica
of
the
original.
For
me,
this
was
one
of
the
biggest
letdowns.
While
the
climax
does
manage
to
jolt
you;
it
fails
to
have
a
lingering
effect,
unlike
Sairat,
where
those
10
seconds
of
gut-wrenching
silence
after
the
tiny,
bloody
footprint
cuts
of
the
child
leaves
you
numb
for
a
very
long
time
along
with
the
haunting
theme
music
during
the
closing
credits.
Sairat's
Parshya
was
a
lanky
lad,
the
kind
who
would
get
bashed
all
the
time.
But
here,
the
camera
doesn't
fail
to
give
us
a
glimpse
of
Ishaan's
six-pack
abs
even
if
it's
for
a
few
fleeting
seconds.
Instead
of
the
slums
and
shanty,
you
get
to
see
a
decent
looking
lodge.
The
exquisite
harem
salwars
and
malmal
ghagras
make
way
for
simple
but
pretty
kurtis.
Well,
that's
Karan
Johar's
version
of
poverty
for
you
in
the
second
half.
Speaking
about
the
performances,
Ishaan
Khatter
is
one
of
the
reasons
why
you
would
want
to
forgive
KJo
&
Co.
for
their
flaws
in
the
film.
After
a
terrific
debut
in
Majid
Majidi's
Beyond
The
Clouds,
the
young
lad
pulls
off
yet
another
winning
act.
From
ecstasy,
sorrow,
sentimental
to
comedy,
Ishaan
has
a
tight
hold
on
all
the
emotions
to
make
you
fall
in
love
with
his
character
Madhukar.
Janhvi
Kapoor
has
a
great
screen
presence
and
does
a
fairly
good
job
as
a
debutante
when
it
comes
to
displaying
her
acting
chops.
However,
there
is
still
room
for
improvement
especially
when
it
comes
to
dialogue
delivery.
Having
said,
one
of
the
strongest
points
of
Sairat
was
Rinki
Rajguru's
character
Archie
who
was
hailed
as
the
'hero' of
the
film.
In
comparison,
Janhvi's
Parthavi
stands
pale
when
it
comes
to
characterization.
Sridhar
Watsar
who
plays
Madhu's
sidekick
Purshottam
tickles
your
funny
bone.
Ankit
Bisht
fares
well.
Unfortunately,
a
powerful
actor
like
Ashutosh
Rana
doesn't
get
much
to
chew
upon.
Monisha
Baldawa's
editing
goes
well
with
the
film.
The
camerawork
by
Vishnu
Rao
perfectly
captures
the
beautiful
locales
of
Rajasthan
and
the
hustle-bustle
of
Kolkata.
Musically,
Dhadak
manages
to
leave
a
mark.
Ajay-Atul
have
cleverly
recreated
Zingaat
and
Yeh
Lagala
from
the
Marathi
version
as
Pehli
Baar
here.
But
our
pick
from
the
album
is
clearly
the
soul-stirring
Dhadak
title
track
which
leaves
you
impressed
to
the
core.
Vaare
Re
too
makes
for
a
good
listen.
At
an
important
juncture
in
the
film,
Janhvi's
Pathavi
tells
Ishaan
Khatter's
Madhukar,
"Bari
Kothi
Nahi
Chaiye,
Mahne
Mara
Ghar
Chaiye,
Apna
Ghar."
That
exactly
sums
up
the
feeling
for
those
who
have
watched
Sairat
before.
Dhadak
gives
you
all
the
grandeur
and
some
noteworthy
performances,
but
fails
to
keep
the
soul
of
Sairat
intact.
On
the
other
hand,
those
who
haven't
seen
the
Nagraj
Manjule
directorial
might
end
up
accepting
Dhadak
with
open
arms
with
its
cleverly-plotted
climax.
I
am
going
with
2.5
stars.