- Date of Release: 01 August 2025
- Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Dhadak 2
Introduction
There is something about the symbolisms in the new Hindi film Dhadak 2, an official adaptation of the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal (2019). The idea of a lower caste boy Neelesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi) wanting to study law, itself comes out of an unsaid place of discrimination and suffering, wherein the is directly linked to casteism that is his identity. The hope is of a better tomorrow if he were to study, but the noise around Neelesh is almost equivalent to his past. In a flashback (which doesn’t appear at the start unlike its Tamil counterpart), you witness the bond that Neelesh shares with a little dog Birju. It tells you a tale or two on how Neelesh aspires to cut himself off from the humans around him, while wishing to stay close to an animal that won’t differentiate him based on his caste. Unfortunately, when a man-made tragedy strikes, you see the pain reflected on the young man’s face – something the writhers in pain stemming out of a loss but also having to come to terms with his reality that is far from the fairytale that anyone dreams of.
Story & Screenplay
The idea of an adaptation is almost synonymous to the themes explored with respect to the caste in the film. This is particularly true for Hindi adaptations that are immediately looked down upon, while the gaze of the film suffers from a superiority complex. The lines are demarcated wherein the adaptation is always on the back-foot. But there is something about the characters and the world of Dhadak 2 that draw you in. The little hint of the overall film is mentioned in perfect broad strokes during its cold open wherein the love story of another boy and a girl is cruelly stalled by a mysterious crusader who bumps off the boy based on the suspicion of his caste. It tells everything that you are about to witness in the film – a budding love story set against the backdrop of casteism with regular clashes from various folks. But the winner for me remains the characterization that takes Dhadak 2, a step ahead of the original film (just in THIS department).
When you are introduced to Nilesh, he is seeing playing the ‘dhol’ at a wedding. The fleeting glimpse of a likeable young man at a wedding has traces of a Dharma production right there, but it is a different ballgame for Neelesh. He is paid to perform at a wedding, a direct sense of differentiation based on the power dynamics of the society. In another scene, you see him convincing the soon-to-be-principal of his college on how only studying would help him improve his future, an unsaid line that is buried under the weight of casteism somewhere. Even when in class, he hesitates to utter his surname, fearing the worst of being judged solely based on his name. Initially when in love, you almost see him stuttering to begin with, but impulsively also returning a kiss to showcase his commitment. The fact that his mother was implied to be an activist turned politician, tells you a lot about the gritty personality of Neelesh.
On the other hand, you are introduced to Vidhi (Triptii Dimri) who is a better written character for me as compared to Jothi (Anandi) from the original film. As a critic, you almost want to latch onto the distinguished voice of a budding filmmaker, and I could see Shazia Iqbal’s distinct voice with the character of Vidhi. She is privileged in terms of her caste and her family, but the gender issue is what the character has to deal with all her life. In a scene, you see her exposing the double standards of a prospective groom’s family of her sister. In another, you witness her outburst that begins with the counter to the objections that her family has with her relationship with Neelesh, while slowly transitioning into her past with respect to the restrictions that she has undergone as a girl despite her family being ‘liberal’. Yet it also cannot be denied that Vidhi has been staying in a bubble all her life. She isn’t acquainted to the strained life of Neelesh and the atrocities that he has faced. When Neelesh wishes to step away from his relationship with Vidhi, the counter is rather simplistic – ‘It isn’t an issue if I agree to it’, a statement that reeks of an entitlement too!
Even some of the other characters in this drama standout. Shankar (Saurabh Sachdeva) is an epitome of casteism, almost weaving his character like Shahrukh Khan from Darr (1993) but with an angle of casteism. In fact, even the camera treats him like a passer-by, abruptly cutting a love-song even as he walks past the couple. In another scene, you see him walking in the background even as a character dons an evil mask. Shankar is a regular guy with a burning back-story that makes him justify the killings in his head. In another world, even Ronak (Saad Bilgrami) could have been an extension of Shankar but in a different timeline (he is Vidhi’s cousin and studying in the same class along with Neelesh). His hate is essentially spewing out of entitlement and a superiority complex and immediately puts him on the other side of the spectrum.
There is a fleeting commentary on gender and religion discrimination too with respect to a couple of the characters. Neelesh is often withdrawn from his father, not because of a difference in wavelength, but more in line with his profession as a ‘cross-dress’ dancer. It almost is a story of marginalization within a marginalization, to the point that you see Neelesh opting to disguise another man as his father to college. And Neelesh is unfortunately vindicated too – in a scene, you see Some entitled students strip Neelesh’s father in college, a sight that is painfully disrespectful to witness. The religion angle extends to Haider Ansari (Zakir Hussain), a character that hints about his past and the discrimination that he has faced without explicitly highlighting the reason (which was religion). A fleeting angle of the same is in the form of Shahrukh Khan’s poster in Neelesh’s room – fleeting because the superstar has now broken through the barrier of his last name in the society but found in the room of an individual that is still discriminated based on caste.
One of the great additions to the screenplay is the character of Shekhar (Priyank Tiwari), modelled on Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid. In a scene, you see him debating about the identity of his community, in another, you see him putting some sense into Neelesh by asking him to standup for his rights citing how Neelesh would be at his place otherwise. But the heartfelt and powerful nature of his character, breaking the fourth wall is enough to not only communicate the message but also stare deep within your soul.
But the screenplay isn’t entirely without some flaws. The interval block for me was slightly Dharma-coded with its wedding sequence that stepped away from the grounded nature of the drama. Further even the scene involving Neelesh being beaten up, didn’t hold the same impact because of the open setting. In the original, the setting was of an intimate room that was directly symbolic of the narrow minds of a few characters, while even allowing you to be a quiet bystander to the atrocities imposed on the protagonist. That wasn’t the case here. The drama even stumbles in its final act wherein Neelesh goes into full Sunny Deol mode from Damini (1992) wherein the ‘Taareekh Pe Taareekh’-coded monologue didn’t have an impact. But the worst was a screaming Vidhi that again further diluted the impact, as opposed to a more grounded and hopeful ending of the original. Despite that, the screenplay here is a winner and a wonderful adaptation of the original.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are subtle but powerful, wherein each of the lines are perfectly in sync with the broader theme of the drama. Lines like ‘Ladne Aur Marne Ke Beech Kuch Chunna Padega, Toh Ladna Chunna’ or even a reference to the survival of the fittest, fit perfectly in the narrative. The weak link for me was the music wherein the songs didn’t land with the emotional core of the characters but instead felt abrupt even in the context of the narrative. This wasn’t entirely true for the BGM that allowed emotions to land in the many scenes, while also elevating the impact of them. The cinematography is wonderful when you take into account the shot breakup. Two characters talking only to be abruptly cut by a vigilante in the background even as a character is flipped with an evil mask, is just one of the many instances wherein the shot transitions are outstanding.
The editing is pretty crisp for most parts of the runtime, while maintaining. the emotional connect between the scenes pretty well. Director Shazia Iqbal is one of the many young filmmakers whose work I always look forward too (I highly recommend you to watch her short film Bebaak on JioHotstar). I must admit though that I was partly skeptical on whether she would indeed find her voice in an adaptation. But boy did I see passages of the film that was laced with her voice of individuality. The feminine gaze in the narrative added softness to the proceedings without diluting its impact. If anything, it is empathetic towards the protagonist. Even when Vidhi talks about toxic masculinity (interestingly, the character of Tripti Dimri was at the receiving end of it in Animal (2023)), you can see the stand of the director. Technically speaking too, you know that Shazia just knows her job while mounting a drama that may have been an adaptation to begin with, but instead, making it her own through her terrific direction! I am a fan, I really am!
Performances
The performances are pretty solid by the members of the cast. Shantanu Pandey as Neelesh’s friend is wonderful to witness, particularly with his fluid dialogue delivery that double up as subtle comic punches. Deeksha Joshi as Nimisha and Manjiri Pupala as Richa are two characters that are dealing with different issues of their own – one suffering from a caste discrimination, and the other suffering from gender discrimination. And both are sincere and earnest with their performances. Harish Khanna as Vidhi’s father has an appearance of a liberal but he doesn’t fully buy into that sentiment. And this dichotomy was perfectly represented by a wonderful performance. Likewise, Abhay Joshi as Vidhi’s uncle follows a similar trope and does a good job. Saad Bilgrami as Ronak has such a wonderful screen presence wherein his antics would infuriate you. And that is the sign of a solid performer who is able to convey the intended emotions of his character wonderfully well. Zakir Hussain as Haider Ansari is immaculate and delivers a very righteous performance that contributes to the nuances of the drama. Aditya Thakare as Vasu is first rate and he has his moments to shine in a character who is understated even with his entitlement, that is unknown to him. Saurabh Sachdeva as Shankar is menacing and bone-chilling with his demeanor. His antics is sure to send a shiver down your spine, even as he goes about his acting chores with utmost perfection.
Anubha Fatehpuria and Vipin Sharma as Neelesh’s parents are two characters that are poles apart. Anubha is fierier and grittier, Vipin is more sedate and resentful but interestingly, both are dealing with and fighting with casteism in their own ways. Vipin is an anti-thesis of toxic masculinity, telling his son on what the meaning of a fight is, and that it shouldn’t be with weapons. Anubha imparts the importance of a fight to make their sentiments be heard. Both are drastically different characters but thoroughly being a contributing factor to Neelesh’s personality.
One of my favourite characters of the film is Priyank Tiwari as the student leader. There is a measurable spark in his performance that oscillates between being empathetic to being fiery. The character arc remains a deprecating one, mentally speaking and the gradual transition is what makes his journey gut-wrenching. His character is a reminder that the fights are individualistic, and not many would come to fight for you.
Triptii Dimri as Vidhi does a good job here with the broader strokes of her character. She is confident and self-aware but also wonderful in using her expressions to convey the intended message through her character. The minor criticism lies in the nuances – the filler scene felt slightly bland featuring her, something that she could definitely work on. Even the finale scream just felt out of place with what the emotions were in store for the viewers. But largely, she is still impressive.
Siddhant Chaturvedi as Neelesh delivers a powerful performance, probably his best since Gully Boy (2019). When he winces, you wince with him. When he cries (that dog scene was just so emotional), you cry with him. Even the subtler emotions of stutter and embarrassment are beautiful interpreted, wherein he is so organic with his body language and expressions. There is a genuine affability that resonates with you, even while being on a journey that is broadly his. I genuinely hope we don’t lose this talent, while also expecting Siddhant to be smarter with his choices going forward given that this performance may well be a fresh lease of life in his filmography.
Conclusion
Despite a few shortcomings, Dhadak 2 is a powerful adaptation of the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal backed by solid performances, that makes for a pondering watch. This is one of the better adaptations to come out of the Hindi Film Industry lately, that doesn’t carry the burden of the original but instead forms its own distinct voice. Available in a theatre near you.