Dhadak 2

There’s a dialogue by hero Neelesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi) to heroine Vidhi (Triptii Dimri) that goes, ‘Gehri neend mein ho.’ It is like being awakened from deep slumber when director Shazia Iqbal brings Hindi-medium, backward caste Neelesh from the ‘Bheem baja dhol band’ into a law college. It is hard-hitting and if you’re prepared for it, there’s enough going on to draw you in. Neelesh has an interview. There are friends who bring him a pair of shoes. A feisty chawl mother (Anubha Fatehpuria) gives him last-minute instructions, “Listen to your head but speak from the heart.” Ansari (Zakir Hussain), the Principal of the law college, who doesn’t want the reservation quota boy to waste time on ‘Jai Bheem’ politics on the campus. Ahirwar, a surname almost like a slur.

The inherent burden of watching a Hindi remake is that the original film automatically acquires a position of control and, in most cases, invincibility. The source material becomes a point of comparison and judgement: a biblical blueprint that, if not followed, reduces the subjectivity of art to the semantics of love or religion. The adaptation can either “stray” or “be faithful”; its identity can only be determined by its devotion — or a lack of it — to the original. It’s a lose-lose situation of sorts. For instance, Dhadak (2018) not only strayed from Marathi classic Sairat (2016), it was entirely divorced from reality; it invisibilised the central theme and missed the memo. Even in isolation, it was a generic and gutless poor-boy-rich-girl tale.

Somewhere near the climax of Dhadak 2, tired of fighting back constantly to claim his position in society, Neelesh- the male protagonist of the film- states, “Haalat badal sakte hai, jaat nahi (situation may change, but caste won’t)". The line hits you hard. Even as India progresses, the discrimination and politics that come along with it- will never end. Filmmaker Shazia Iqbal’s film Dhadak 2, featuring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, addresses the age-old caste politics that persist in Indian society to date, through reservation and quotas, disrespect, vote banks, and more. Backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, it takes up the same theme that Dhadak was set in, of star-crossed lovers, one from the marginalised section and the other from the privileged class, and the problems they face in their love story. Both films are remakes. However, Dhadak 2 soars due to its sharp writing and superb performances by the lead.

Siddhant Chaturvedi and Tripti Dimri led film explores the story of India’s cast system and how it is impacting the youth of today. A decade ago, a film like this would have been about the love story and how the leading characters fought the casteism to be with each other, here it is about how they fought the world just to survive and exist. That big difference makes this film a good watch. Dhadak 2 beings with Siddhanth Chaturvedi’s (Nilesh) first interaction with Tripti Dimri (Vidhi). While she is a guest at a wedding, Nilesh is playing a Dhol for the wedding festivities. She goes on to invite him to play at her sister’s upcoming wedding and gets herself a 20% discount, unknown to the fact that they two will cross paths again somewhere else. They happen to join the same law college but the reasoning behind their decision is what sets them apart.