More Than a Heartbeat, Less Than a Soul | My Unfiltered Dhadak Movie Review
There’s a specific kind of dread, isn’t there? The one you get when you hear a song you love is being covered, or a book that shaped you is getting a movie adaptation. It’s a protective cringe. A deep-seated fear that the lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the original will be misunderstood, sanitized, or just… missed. That’s precisely the feeling I had when Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions announced Dhadak , a glossy Hindi remake of the raw, earth-shattering Marathi masterpiece, Sairat .
And let’s be clear: you cannot write a dhadak movie review without talking about Sairat . It’s impossible. It’s like reviewing a cover of “Hallelujah” without ever mentioning Leonard Cohen. So, I walked into the cinema with a bias. I admit it. A bias born from being utterly devastated and moved by the original. The question wasn’t just “Is Dhadak a good movie?” but “Does it have the right to exist?”
The Ghost of Sairat Looms Large
The original film, Sairat , was visceral. You could almost feel the dust of the Maharashtrian village on your skin. It was a story about Archie and Parshya, two kids from different castes, whose love was as real and messy as the world they inhabited. The director, Nagraj Manjule, didn’t just tell a love story; he held up a mirror to the brutal, deeply entrenched casteism of Indian society. It wasn’t just a film; it was a cultural phenomenon in Maharashtra, a landmark piece of Marathi cinema that shattered box office records and sparked vital conversations. You can get a sense of its impact just by reading about it on its Wikipedia page .
But then comes Dhadak .
The dusty village is replaced by the breathtaking, tourist-brochure beauty of Udaipur. The modest homes are now sprawling, gorgeous havelis. The characters, Madhukar and Parthavi, are dressed in stunning, perfectly curated Manish Malhotra outfits. Everything feels expensive, a deliberate corporate decision to scale up, a kind of strategic shift you read about in business news, like the Greaves Cotton share EV pivot . But does bigger always mean better?
In this case, the gloss actively works against the story. The struggle feels cosmetic. The poverty they face after eloping looks like a bohemian chic adventure in Kolkata rather than a desperate fight for survival. This Sairat vs Dhadak debate isn’t about regional vs. national cinema; it’s about authenticity vs. aesthetic.
Janhvi and Ishaan – Sparks in a Polished Machine
Okay, let me be fair. The film isn’t a total write-off, and that’s almost entirely thanks to its leads. Ishaan Khatter as Madhukar is a live wire. He brings a frantic, infectious energy that often papers over the script’s weaknesses. You believe his adoration, his desperation, his boyish charm. He’s fantastic.
And then there’s Janhvi Kapoor . For a debut performance, it’s commendable. She has a commanding presence and captures the entitled, fiery spirit of Parthavi well in the first half. You see the glimmers of a truly great actress. But when the story demands a descent into hardship and grit, her performance feels a bit… clean. It’s a very controlled, poised portrayal of a girl whose life is falling apart.
The real win here is their chemistry. It’s palpable. They look good together, they move well together, and their early scenes of flirtation are genuinely charming. They are the film’s heartbeat. The problem is, the body of the film around them feels a little hollow.
A Dhadak Movie Review That Has to Talk About the Music
Getting Ajay-Atul, the original composers, on board was the smartest decision the producers made. The title track, “Dhadak,” is hauntingly beautiful and arguably the best thing to come out of the film. It sets a perfect, melancholic tone.
But. We have to talk about “Zingaat.”
In Sairat , “Zingaat” wasn’t a dance number; it was a cultural explosion. It was chaotic, wild, and utterly joyous. It was the physical embodiment of uninhibited freedom. The version in Dhadak , however, is a choreographed, slickly produced dance sequence. It’s fun, sure, but it lacks the soul, the pure, unadulterated madness of the original. It’s the perfect metaphor for the entire film: technically proficient but emotionally sterile.
The Ending That Pulled (And Lost) Its Punch
I’m going to talk about the ending. If you haven’t seen the film, maybe skip ahead, but honestly, this is the most critical part of any dhadak movie review .
The Dhadak ending is the film’s greatest failure. The climax of Sairat is one of the most shocking and devastating in the history of Indian cinema. It’s a brutal, sudden, and unforgettable gut-punch that leaves you reeling. It’s the entire point of the film – to show that in the real world, love doesn’t conquer all, and that the ugly reality of honour killing is a horrifying truth.
Dhadak chickens out. It changes the ending in a way that softens the blow, making it more traditionally cinematic and, frankly, less impactful. By trying to make the tragedy more poetic, it strips it of its horror. It becomes just another sad movie ending, not a horrifying statement on society. The original was a call to arms; this feels like a wistful sigh. And that, right there, is the problem. It takes a story about the brutal reality of caste and turns it into a simple, tragic romance. It’s a beautiful-looking film that is ultimately afraid of its own shadow, a perfect example of a remake of Sairat that misses the entire point.
So, is it a bad movie? If you’ve never seen the original, you might find it a perfectly watchable, if slightly predictable, romantic tragedy. But it’s not an important movie. It’s a postcard from a place you’ve never really visited, a pretty picture of a harsh reality it doesn’t have the courage to truly depict. It has a heartbeat, yes, but the soul is missing.
Answering Your Burning Questions About Dhadak
Is Dhadak just a scene-for-scene copy of Sairat?
Not exactly. While the core plot of the Dhadak story is the same boy and girl from different social strata fall in love, elope, and face the consequences the execution is very different. Dhadak changes the setting, polishes the look, and most significantly, alters the climax. It follows the main beats but changes the tone and the final, crucial message.
Why do so many people say the ending of Dhadak is weak?
It’s all about the comparison. The ending of Sairat was shocking, brutal, and left a lasting psychological impact on the viewer, driving home the film’s message about honour killings. The Dhadak ending was changed to be more traditionally dramatic and less abrupt. For anyone who had seen the original, this change felt like a cop-out that diluted the story’s power and social commentary.
Do I need to watch Sairat before watching Dhadak?
I would strongly recommend it. Watching Sairat first will give you a profound appreciation for the story’s depth and cultural significance. If you watch Dhadak first, you might enjoy it as a standalone romance, but you’ll be missing the raw, powerful context that made the story so revolutionary in the first place.
Is Janhvi Kapoor good in her first movie?
She’s promising! As I mentioned, she has a definite screen presence and handles the “princess” persona of her character very well. The performance is a bit uneven, especially in the more emotionally demanding second half, but it’s a solid debut. It’s a tough spot for any debutant, trying to make a mark while handling immense pressure. It’s a high-wire act, where public perception and box office returns feel as scrutinized as the market trends discussed in the PNB Housing Finance analysis . There’s clear potential there.
