Dhadak 2 movie review: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri's film on caste and love has so much to say, so little clarity

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Dhadak 2 movie review Cast: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri Director: Shazia Iqbal Star rating: ★★.5
Dhadak 2 reminded me of 3 Idiots in two instances. I know, totally different genres. But hear me out. First, when Siddhant Chaturvedi's character says the exact same line Aamir Khan's Rancho did after someone gives up on life in 3 Idiots: 'Yeh suicide nahi, murder tha.' The scene is set up in a very similar way here as well. And second, when Rancho's college professor throws up his hands and says, 'Arre kehna kya chahte ho?' That same feeling pops up more than once while watching this film. I'll explain why. Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri give strong performances in Dhadak 2.
Dhadak 2, like its predecessor, is an adaptation. The first was based on the 2016 Marathi hit Sairat. This one is a remake of the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal (2018). Director Shazia Iqbal stays true to the original, rarely straying from its core.
The premise
Neelesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and Viddhi (Triptii Dimri) are students at a law college. She belongs to an upper caste, he to a lower one. She gets attracted, makes the first move, while he hesitates, fully aware of what it could lead to. Her family strongly opposes the relationship and humiliates him. He distances himself; she doesn't. What happens next? Do they reunite, or do they face an ending as grim as the one in the first Dhadak? You'll have to watch to find out.
The biggest problem with Dhadak 2 is that it takes too long to figure out what it wants to be. And when it finally does, it struggles to stay consistent. The first half drags, focusing almost entirely on the love story. The writing (by Shazia Iqbal and Rahul Badwelkar) tries hard to convince us of the chemistry between the leads, but it never feels natural. Strangely enough, the original Dhadak, with two newcomers like Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, felt more believable in capturing the innocence of first love.
How much conflict is too much conflict?
In contrast, Dhadak 2 has too much going on. There's caste violence, a political subplot, even a psychopathic killer targeting lower-caste young adults who dare to love outside their caste. At one point, you start to wonder: how much conflict is too much conflict?
That said, the second half is where the film finally finds its voice. It sheds the forced romance and brings the core issue- caste discrimination- to the forefront. Neelesh hits back. The tension rises. And the film briefly becomes gripping. There's also a thread on women's rights thrown in somewhere.
Dhadak 2 has potential, but its lack of editing undercuts it. Omkar Uttam Sakpal and Sangeeth Varghese should have trimmed at least 20 minutes. The preachiness in the climax gets loud, and as a result, the impact fizzles out. And while the ending promises a better world, it doesn't translate into a satisfying conclusion, appearing rushed.
Still, the film deserves credit for tackling difficult scenes with honesty. The seriousness of the subject does come through at times, and even earns applause from the audience in some scenes.
How are the performances?
Siddhant Chaturvedi delivers a good performance, portraying a young man trapped in systemic injustice but still searching for a way out. Triptii Dimri handles a complex role too — a woman caught between her family's rigid beliefs and her love for Neelesh. But it's Siddhant who takes charge in the latter half, carrying the emotional weight as his character is pushed to the brink.
Zakir Hussain as the college principal stands out, and so does Saurabh Sachdeva as an antagonist.
The music by Rochak Kohli, Tanishk Bagchi, Javed Mohsin and Shreyas Puranik doesn't do a lot of work here within the story, they might make for good listens otherwise.
In the end, Dhadak 2 is a film that carries a powerful message but fumbles with its storytelling. It wants to speak about caste, oppression, and systemic injustice- and when it does, it hits the right notes. But it's weighed down by an uneven narrative and an overstretched runtime. This could have been a hard-hitting social drama. Instead, it settles for moments of brilliance buried under a ton of missed opportunities.