It hasn’t been quite long since the movie Dhadak hit the big screen and started attracting the audience to a tragic love story that you cannot resist but watch. Directed by Shashank Khaitan, Dhadak is a romantic tragedy shot amidst the beautiful city of Udaipur starring Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor, elder daughter of Late Sri Devi Kapoor. It is a remake of the Marathi movie Sairat directed by Nagaraj Manjule which was released in the year of 2016. Sairat was lauded by the critics for its intricate story that revolves around inter-caste love. On the other hand, Dhadak received negative reviews from the media after its release on 20th July 2018.
The two main characters Parshya and Archie in Sairat play the role of a young couple in the state of Maharashtra that battles against all the odds prevailing in the present society in the form of casteism. Similar is the role played by the couple, Madhukar and Parthavi, in Dhadak who discover love in the midst of the picturesque city: Udaipur. The story of both Sairat and Dhadak is same; needless to be stated, the former is the remake of the latter. However, in Sairat the maker of the film has tried his best to include every possible detail in order to bring out the true essence of life and add realism. From the outfits, food, lifestyle to things as small as utensils, are taken into consideration by Nagaraj. No stone is left unturned to deliver to the audience the most amazing and realistic experience that helps them to connect with the protagonists.
Dhadak, on the other hand, has a touch of glamour with more glitters that fade away the raw truth. Well, this is what is expected when you go watch a Dharma productions movie. It is not entirely bad to expect a tinge of glamour from a Bollywood movie; after all, Bollywood is known for its glistening glamour. Ranging from the lights to the music and dance, Bollywood is all about rhythm, scenes, and melodies that leave you enchanted. Although Dhadak is being looked down upon by various media sources, the stars Ishaan and Janhvi are praised enormously for their marvelous acting.
The cinematography in Dhadak is comparatively better than in Sairat if we look from the purview of charming the audience. Who doesn’t like a love story blossoming in a heavenly place as aesthetic as Udaipur? The most popular song trending all over the social media is its title song “Dhadak”. There are other two songs that are inspired from the songs of Sairat, but they did not please the audience as much as the title track did.
If you were to compare on acting grounds, you would definitely give all the credits to these two rising stars. The new budding talent Ishaan has done an inexpressible work through his acting. His expressions when he is chasing Janhvi, struggling to elope, or quarreling with her, are perfect. Jahnvi too with her captivating eyes and unmatchable grace has proved to a great extent that she is actually the daughter of “Sri Devi” and has come to shake the b-town just like her mother: “Bijli girane main hu aayi..”
Some of the leading journalists also complained that the movie lacks details and overlooks the root subject- caste discrimination and prejudice. In spite of all the low ratings that the media is allotting to the movie, Dhadak has made a great success in its first weekend by reaching a box-office collection of Rs. 33 crores within 3 days. It has surpassed Karan Johar’s Student of the year to become the highest-earning-opening-day-collections film starring newcomers.
The end of the movie Dhadak is far more intense as compared to Sairat. Sairat ends with utter silence; the baby enters a room to notice his parents smeared with blood and lying on the ground. Though you might feel for the baby and of course for the lovers, it does not seem as heinous as what is done in Dhadak. The scene of Parthavi’s son and husband being thrown from the balcony mercilessly, after killing, gives you goosebumps. You would wish to watch what happens after the scene: That’s how the director ensured to keep the audience craving for more till the end. You never know, Dhadak might even have a sequel.
Replying to the negative criticisms hurled upon Dhadak and to the questions raised by media, Ishaan Khatter said in an interview, “No, there is a reason why we are calling it an adaptation and not a remake and the reason is that it’s not the scene to scene copy. The idea to make this film was always this that this is the story that will resonate with the audiences all over our country and it does not state specific. So the idea was always to take this story and apply to its characters that may or may not be the same. Our characters are very different from that of Parshya and Archie.”
What are your views on all of this? Do you agree with the media and critics or do you want to let yourself decide after a good watch? Do mention your views in the comment section below.
Such an amazing article depicting all the layers of the movie… The writer has really understood the concepts and ideas that has differentiated the movie from its Maharashtrian adaptation… The potential of the actors has been acclaimed through the article and the audience too shall relate to it. Really appreciative work !!
I don’t agree with the media or this article. I’ve seen both Dhadak and Sairat, and found Dhadak to be better than Sairat. Dhadak has stronger characters: Jhanvi’s potrayal of the character was far more powerful than that of the Sairat actress. I could relate to the characters and situations much better in Dhadak. The only thing Sairat has is that it comes across as more realistic, whereas Dhadak is more glossy.
Thank you for your response! Well what we are saying here is also much similar to how you feel. Although Sairat is more of a documentary form, Dhadak is much more successful considering audience engagement and funds raised. Keep looking for more with us.
We look forward to providing you with such news and more entertaining articles ahead in future. Thanks for your time and interacting with us. We appreciate your comments. Thanks again Sanjay!