Dhadak Review: Being A Humble, Gratifying And Fulfilling Rendition Of Sairat, Dhadak Manages To Make A Fulfilling And Impactful Impression!

Dhadak Review: Being A Humble, Gratifying And Fulfilling Rendition Of Sairat, Dhadak Manages To Make A Fulfilling And Impactful Impression!
Starring: Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana
Directed By: Shashank Khaitan
2.5/5 stars
Review By: Shreshtha Chaudhury 

A picturesque landscape of Udaipur, families battling rivalries through elections, people engaging in serving as guides or entertaining foreign tourists, local lads basking in the lake, girls with their colorful kurtis and lehengas and in the middle of it all two young individuals who make an innocent mistake of falling in love with each other in spite of coming from different societal background- this pretty much sums up this rendition of Shashank Khaitan which is an adaptation of the Marathi hit “Sairat”.

Based on the same footnotes as “Sairat”, the movie essays the tale of love against all odds and also marks the promising debut of Janhvi Kapoor, the daughter of the late Sridevi and Ishaan Khatter, brother of actor Shahid Kapoor. Dhadak can be termed as the neoteric, urbanized and passable adaptation of Sairat but due to the overdose of an accessorized and a sham execution, fails to strike a chord with the audience, lacking in a sense of realism and a rawness which was very much present in its contemporary.

But if there is one person who makes a promising and a scintillating debut, it is newbie Ishaan Khatter as Madhukar who very much carries the film in his shoulders especially in the form of some gripping performances during post interval. Janhvi looks beautiful and dainty as Parthavi but there is still some room for her to nurture and grow when it comes to the aspects of performing or emoting but nevertheless she makes an impressive stint in her debut venture. 

From the very inception since director Shashank Khaitan had undertaken the enormous task of adapting a classic like Sairat, the film had inevitably fallen under a constant radar of resemblances and comparability but it will be harmless to say that although not as opulent and lofty like its Marathi contemporary, Dhadak manages to sail with a constancy and with an enigma of its own charming the audience with its own ethnicity. 

Dhadak witnesses a passionate tale of love between the free spirited Madhukar (Ishaan Khatter) who falls head over heels in love with the beautiful but impassable Parthavi (Janhvi Kapoor) who is the daughter of a powerful and shrewd politician and hotelier Ratan Singh (Ashutosh Rana). It’s a passionate love against all odds tale showcasing the two individuals breaking the shackles of societal boundaries to make their love emerge victorious. Debutants Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor had a huge baggage on their shoulders to break free from the ‘nepotism tag’ through this endeavor of theirs and they definitely do not disappoint. Ishaan Khatter is impressive to the very core and manages to charm with his full might. His vivacity, comic timing and youthfulness is rustic and appealing before the interval and at the same time, his gripping and tenacious performance post interval looks as real and convincing .On the other hand Janhvi though looks beautiful but tries hard to pass the litmus test. It is quite evident that there is still room for much improvement for the young actress but she definitely possesses a glamorous and promising screen presence. Her charisma is indisputable and there is a sense of a rustic beauty in her which readily earned her some brownie points. Needless to say these two talented individuals do make a promising debut and show all signs of a star in making.

The other supporting cast specially Ashutosh Rana as the menacing and shrewd Ratan Singh, Kharaj Mukherjee as the amiable happy go lucky lodge owner and last but not the least Sridhar Watsar as Purushottam manage to display a captivating and impressive performance . Others like Ankit Bisht, Aditya Kumar and Aishwarya Narkar also do not fail to impress. 

Director Shashank Khaitan manages to encompass all the simple nuances of the youthful and vivacious romanticism and passion in this adaptation of Sairat and manages to instill a different sense of charm and uniqueness in the film which emerges victorious despite of the many comparisons. The rendition is much ornamented but has a fresh viewpoint of its own. The locale of Udaipur and then Kolkata post interval is truly realistic and surreal. The director has managed to capture the culture, emotion, vivacity of both Udaipur and Kolkata in an ethereal manner. The songs specially ‘Pehli Baar’ which is a rendition of the song ‘Yad Ladla’ from Sairat and ‘Zingat’ (also a rendition of the Sairat soundtrack) fail to strike a chord due to the non- engaging and slow paced lyrics. However the title track of the movie is melodious and pleasant to the ears. 
Overall the film manages to ooze out a lure and an agreeableness of its own even though lacking the zeal and enthusiasm of Sairat, with newcomers Ishaan Khatter and Jahnvi Kapoor giving a promising debut. Do not miss this one if you want to witness an undying tale of love which ultimately bores out an untimely demise at the hands of the societal handcuffs.