Review of Dhadak (2018) by Asmanraj — 28 Jul 2018

Dhadak is a Bollywood remake of the harrowing and unforgettable Marathi film Sairat. For someone who has seen Sairat, it is impossible to review Dhadak without discussing the endings of both films. I don't think anyone would argue that Dhadak is just as good or superior to Sairat, but the former is good nonetheless.

Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khattar give confident performances. The first half of Dhadak is amusing, and the second half of the film lacks the dramatic intensity of Sairat but is engaging nonetheless. Dhadak glosses over the issue of caste that is so prevalent in Sairat, but if Dhadak did not have commercial elements, it would not have been a hit, and this film needs to be seen by as many people as possible.

Most people who don't speak Marathi won't watch Sairat with subtitles. Sairat could afford to be unflinching in its depiction of casteism because it was only aimed at a Marathi-speaking audience. I was concerned that the ending of Dhadak would be a typical Bollywood ending in order to appeal to the Hindi-speaking heartland, but thankfully director and screenwriter Shashank Khaitan doesn't take the easy way out.

The ending of Dhadak does not pack the same punch as the ending of Sairat, and it is unclear why director Shashank Khaitan decided to alter the ending. That is why I can't give the film 10 out of 10. However, the message of Sairat is not lost in Dhadak, and this is a film the Hindi-speaking heartland needs to see.