⭐ Dhadak 2 Movie Review: A Brave But Uneven Attempt at Telling a Powerful Caste-Based Story

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

Director Shazia Iqbal’s Dhadak 2, a Hindi adaptation of the acclaimed Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal, is a bold attempt to address caste discrimination within a Bollywood framework. Starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, the film tries to stay true to the emotional and social core of the original. However, the translation from rural realism to a polished urban setting leaves some of the film’s power diluted.

🎬 Story Summary

In Dhadak 2, the acted movie focuses on Neelesh, a Dalit law student, and Vidhi, a privileged girl who falls in love with the former. Their courtship is thwarted–it is not villains or competing lovers that stop their courtship but old caste prejudices and social tradition. Their attempt to be true to love and identity at the law campus is just a background to the film struggling to deconstruct caste, honor, patriarchy and the general silence around these topics in urban India.

💭 What Works

• The film retains key plot points from Pariyerum Perumal.
• It makes a brave attempt to bring caste-based discrimination to a mainstream Bollywood audience.
• Siddhant Chaturvedi delivers a restrained and honest performance, especially in the emotionally heavier scenes.
• Saurabh Sachdeva impresses once again as the menacing caste supremacist.
• The final act of the film does gain momentum and emotional weight.

❌ What Doesn’t Work

The emotional depth and poetic quality of the original Tamil version is lost.

• The urban college setting feels overly polished and unrealistic.
• Triptii Dimri’s character, Vidhi, is written as naïve to the point of frustration.
• Important themes like the SC/ST Act or Ambedkarite resistance are touched on but never explored in depth.
• The film ends up telling rather than showing, relying on lectures over lived experience.

🗣️ Key Takeaways

Dhadak 2 wants to spark a conversation about caste injustice, and it deserves credit for that.

• But it lacks the raw, lived-in feel that made the original film so impactful.
• While the intent is strong, the execution feels superficial and sometimes mechanical.

Movie Summary Table

Feature	Details
Title	Dhadak 2
Director	Shazia Iqbal
Main Cast	Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri, Saurabh Sachdeva
Genre	Social Drama, Romance
Runtime	142 minutes
Language	Hindi
Storyline	A Dalit law student and an upper-caste girl fall in love, facing the harsh reality of caste discrimination.
Strengths	Honest performances, bold themes, important message
Weaknesses	Flat writing, underdeveloped characters, weak emotional connection
Final Verdict	A noble effort with flashes of brilliance, but doesn’t live up to the potential of the original.

BACK TO HOME PAGE