Let me start with a disclaimer: I have not seen Sairat yet so this review is based solely on Dhadak itself.

In all honesty, I had to fight the urge to watch Sairat before watching Dhadak but I am so glad I didn’t because then I would not have been able to experience the magic of Dhadak – and yes, Dhadak is magical. For two and a half hours I felt like I was a part of Madhu and Parthavi’s world. I sang with them and smiled at their coy glances at each other. And I really wanted things to work out for them with all my heart.

Dhadak is a story of two young lovers, Madhu (Ishaan Khattar) and Parthavi (Janhvi Kapoor), who fall in love despite being from different castes. As their love for each other deepens, the world around them becomes a harsh reality of caste and class differences that are held dearer than blood. The film takes a while to pick up pace but even in the slower moments of the first half, the storyline keeps you engaged.

With its layered storyline, it would have been a challenging film for any actor to hold together but one-film-old Ishaan and debutante Janhvi not only lift the film but will also win you over with their honest performances.

Janhvi is vulnerable as Parthavi while Ishaan brings raw energy to the screen – the combination lending freshness to the film. These two are sure go a long way and as Karan Johar would say, they are set to become bonafide acting talents of the Hindi Film Industry.  I, for one, am already quite excited to see what Ishaan and Janhvi bring to the audiences next.

Karan Johar usually get s a lot of flak for promoting Bollywood kids but in all honesty, if the talent that is coming to the forefront is this good, then you have to give him credit for being able to spot potential. With Janhvi and Ishaan, Karan and Dharma have once again struck gold.

The biggest strength of Dharma in the past few years has been finding and nurturing directors and storytellers who bring something new to the palette. In his third outing with Dharma, after the very successful Humpty Sharma and Badri Ki Dulhaniya, Shashank Khaitan delivers another solid film.

I guess even before the trailer was out, one of the things that audiences were most looking forward to was the music. Ajay-Atul’s original music for Sairat finds a new home in Dhadak with abundant help from Amitabh Bhattacharaya’s hindi lyrics. Pehli Baar tugs at your heart strings reminding you of the nervous excitement of first love. The title track fills your heart with a calming joy with its soothing notes and Zingaat will make you want to dance along, matching steps with the onscreen mad energy of the song.

 

Dhadak’s cinematography deserves a special mention. As the narrative shifts from the picturesque Udaipur, to metropolitan Mumbai and then the city that embodies old world charm like no other, Kolkatta, the landscape becomes as much a part of the story as the characters themselves and that is where Vishnu Rao’s mastery lies.

To avoid spoilers, I can’t say much about the climax but I will say this much –it has been a few hours since I watched Dhadak but the lump in my throat is still there. I was a part of Madhu and Parthavi’s world for almost three hours and I would have definitely wanted to stay a bit longer in that world.

Have you seen the film yet? Share your thoughts on the film in the comments section below.