There are two kinds of films in every industry – those that entertain and those that preach. Many films have been made that cater to both the categories but sadly, Dhadak isn’t one of them. Why it fails to impress the audience is because it tries too hard to be included in both the classic and the modern cinema and falls flat on both the fronts. The story seems to have been taken from the films of 1980s such as Love Story, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak while the treatment was taken from Indian Marathi-language hit Sairat. Add a disappointing climax and you get a film that can be given a miss, despite a fresh pair and a potential that wasn’t fulfilled.

Dhadak revolves around two young characters Madhukar Bhagla (Ishaan Khattar) and Parthavi Singh (Janhvi Kapoor), who study in college together and fall in love. However, Parthavi’s father Ratan Singh (Ashutosh Rana) doesn’t want anything to hamper his chances in the elections and as soon as he wins the seat, he has Madhu jailed for trying to kiss his daughter. The two lovers somehow escape and elope to another city where they spend a few years away from their family, leading a happy life until the climax which takes the shine off otherwise a normal film with a normal story.

The film has excellent songs while the debute actors prove they can act and dance; however, they fail to make you believe that they are on the run because everything happens so easily, considering her father is a sitting Parliamentarian. Ishaan looks like he is continuing from where he left in Beyond The Clouds, while Jhanvi’s character borrows elements from her own life – rich, beautiful and spoilt without working for either of these characteristics. In fact, Madhu’s friends impress more considering their characters either had a mind of their own (Gokul played by Ankit Bisht) or no mind at all (Purshottam played by Shridhar Watsar). Ashutosh Rana is as deadly with a wig as he is without it and his expressions send chills down the spine, even when his character means well.

The main difference between the Marathi version and the Bollywood one was evident from the start; Marathi films are more realistic than Hindi ones and Sairat and Dhadak are the prime examples. One tackled the caste issue like a professional while the latter just dipped the nib of the pen in the issue, hoping to come out with the same result and appreciation. If you remove a specific dialogue and the end of the film, there is no mention of caste or creed, just love and lust that too in a young couple. Furthermore, the two actors Jhanvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khattar are industry kids and this film dropped into their lap because of that rather than anything else. They will have to come back strongly and prove that their parents had nothing to do with their entry in films, otherwise, they will go down as ‘could have been a contender’ actors like Kumar Gaurav and Vijayta Pandit.•