Movie review of Dhadak 2

Dhadak 2 is a romantic drama film, a spiritual sequel to 2018's Dhadak and a remake of the acclaimed 2018 Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal. It was released theatrically on August 1, 2025, and later on OTT.

Overall, the film has received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its brave and important tackling of caste-based discrimination and social injustice within a love story framework, though some felt it didn't fully capture the depth and emotional impact of the original.

Here is a summary of the common points from the reviews:

Plot and Theme:

• Core Subject: The film centers on the romance between Neelesh Arhiwar (Siddhant Chaturvedi), a law student from a marginalized caste, and Vidhi Bharadwaj (Triptii Dimri), a privileged upper-caste classmate. Their relationship faces brutal opposition from Vidhi's family

  and the pervasive caste prejudice in society, exploring themes of honor killing and systemic oppression.

• Remake Approach: Director Shazia Iqbal is credited with making a bold and sensitive adaptation, preserving the core anti-caste politics of the original while grounding it in a new setting (reportedly Bhopal/Madhya Pradesh).

• Social Commentary: Reviewers highlighted the film's success in depicting the harsh realities, humiliation, and violence faced by people from oppressed castes, with some scenes being described as heart-wrenching and hard-hitting.

Performances:

• Siddhant Chaturvedi as Neelesh received significant praise for an excellent and emotionally layered performance, portraying his transformation from a timid young man struggling with his identity to a more self-assured individual fighting for his dignity.

• Triptii Dimri as Vidhi was noted as convincing, bringing a quiet dignity to a character who confronts her own privilege and her family's rigid beliefs.

• The supporting cast, including Saurabh Sachdeva as the chilling antagonist and Zakir Hussain as the college dean, were also highly appreciated.

Criticisms:

• Romance Falters: A frequent criticism is that the romantic arc between the leads felt underdeveloped and lacked convincing chemistry for some reviewers, making the relationship less believable than the intense conflict surrounding it.

• Uneven Pacing/Clarity: The first half was sometimes noted as dragging, and the narrative occasionally struggled to balance the romance, caste conflict, and a political subplot, leading to a sense of uneven storytelling or being over-explained.

• Climax/Ending: The resolution was sometimes described as abrupt or restrained, and for those who had seen the Tamil original, the Dharma production polish was felt to have muted some of the original's raw, visceral grit.

In summary, Dhadak 2 is considered an important and brave social drama for mainstream Hindi cinema, bolstered by strong performances, particularly by Siddhant Chaturvedi, even if its narrative execution didn't fully satisfy all critics.