“Dhadak” Review: A good film, maintaining the emotions of the original.

It’s not right to compare a remake with the original films. But it’s also true that sometimes that which is not right is impossible to avoid. The fact of the matter is that Dhadak is an official remake of Sairat. For the most part, it’s a scene to seen remake with the same ups and downs. There are a few changes, some which work and some which don’t. The story is simple. Love blossoms between two individuals of different castes and different social background. They get tangled in the web of bigotry and hatred, and do whatever it takes to fight for their love. That’s the story and we’ve seen films with this basic plot many times. What made Dhadak unique was the treatment and the innocent. The rawness and the realism. It was a concept we always knew, but was catered to us with a fresh twist.

Dhadak attempts the same. Firstly, the technicalities. This is a good looking film, and has the “Dharma” quality from a visual and technical perspective. From the cinematography to the editing to the sound design, all the technicalities work together to give us a quality product. The music is nice, but when you have the Marathi version of the songs playing in your head for the past couple years, it’s difficult to take the Hindi versions seriously. Though the composers are the same, the songs don’t hold the same magic. Even the picturization of the songs are straight from the original. The only difference being the upscaled locations, and the larger canvas.

In regards to story and screenplay, the contrast between the characters doesn’t seem enough. In the original you could feel the gap. The pace of the film is perfect and there are many scenes that are well written and executed.  The climax is debatable and it’s to be seen if it will work. The screenplay and direction succeeds at making the love seem believable, even if it isn’t as rustic and raw as we would have hoped. In a way, it seems set up, and things don’t move as fluidly as with “Sairat”

The acting stands out! It’s amazing to see Ishaan Kattar go from “Beyond The Clouds” to Sairat. Two completely contrast films with complete contrast characters. You can sense his vulnerability, and his love. The innocence, however, seemed forced. Janhvi Kapoor has also done a splendid job. She grows on you throughout the film. In the second half, she’s another person all together! Ashutosh Rana works excellently as the sinister politician. The supporting cast is competent. The director, Shashank Khaitan has done a great job at extracting performances from each of the actors.

Overall, this is the type of “Sairat” that only Dharma productions could have made. Slightly upscaled, but with the emotions intact. One can argue that the innocent is slightly lost, which is true, but for the most part the film succeeds. If you are open to watch a love story between two people of different backgrounds, go for “Dhadak”.

3 out of 5 stars