Dhadak Movie Review : A Simple, Passionate Story about First Love

From the moment they set eyes on each other; Madhukar and Parthavi felt something familiar, something pure, but as their love blossomed, so did their problems. Torn between society and their families, their fate became uncertain. DHADAK is a simple, passionate story about first love.

This film presents the new faces of Ishaan (one film old) and Janhvi (who marks her debut in Bollywood)

Parthavi (Janhvi) is the rich daughter of a politician and hotel-owner in Udaipur. Apart from being a brat, she is bold and self-assured. Parthavi takes shit from no one, and can be seen putting people in their place in the beginning of the film. When her misogynist brother tries to stop her from riding a bike, she is quick to rebuke him.

It was very stimulating to see such a strong female character in a Bollywood film, especially opposite a more docile and naive male counterpart. But why does she fall in love with the innocent, happy-go-lucky Madhukar (essayed spectacularly by Ishaan Khatter)?

In this sense, the writing itself lets Janhvi down. We do not connect with her because we do not understand why she loves Madhukar so much and why she was so willing to sacrifice everything she has for him.

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Dhadak also doesn’t let you forget that it’s a Dharma Productions film. Everything from the scenes to the sets and Janhvi herself, it is quintessential Bollywood.

Don’t get me wrong. Janhvi looks absolutely stunning and there’s nothing wrong with that. But this indulgence and glamour butchers the soul and simplicity of the story, which was the whole USP of Sairat in the first place. Either you go all out with glamour and indulgence in a Student of the Year type film, or you stay true to the simplicity and rawness of Sairat. You can’t do both.

It seems like the makers were stuck between trying to launch a star-kid and remaking a serious film like Sairat. As a result, Janhvi is a celebrity star-kid before she is Parthavi

It is therefore no surprise that her co-star Ishaan Khatter delivers a far better performance in the film. The focus is not on his appearance, but on his performance. 

He is pitch perfect in dramatic scenes and his puppy eyes keep the innocence of this love story alive.  

Despite these obstacles, however, Janhvi still delivers an earnest and engaging performance. In the beginning, she expressively captures Parthavi’s innocence and conflict between being deeply into Madhu and wanting to play hard to get.

Dhadak does not do justice to Janhvi, but she manages to shine regardless.

With Dhadak, Shashank Khaitan steps out of the ‘Dulhania’ mould for the first time. Yet, his third outing has a lot of visual similarities to his earlier films. Owing to the source material, Dhadak is without doubt, his darkest film.

Shridhar Watsar, who plays Inshaan's vertically challenged friend, is a laugh riot, and Ashutosh Rana as the menacing father and political figure is perfectly intense.

The music of the film is a definite highlight. Ajay-Atul pulls the right strings for this one, two tracks from Sairat have been reinvented, one of which is the huge hit Zingaat.

With all its strengths and weaknesses, Dhadak attempts to highlight some shocking truths about our society and for that it makes a worthy watch.