Dhadak - An insult to Sairat



Some movies are best left untouched. Sairat is one of them.  

 Dhadak is such a sorry remake of the terrific Marathi film that it does not even deserve a review. The lead actors are a misfit, the screenplay bereft of moments that leave any sort of impact and the music a poor copy of the original with laughable lyrics. The chemistry between the actors is non-existent and the core issue of caste and economic conflict, which plays out so beautifully in the original, is only a passing reference. 

All that Dhadak does is give credence to a certain actor’s views on nepotism. It’s a showreel for the lead actress who has been presented with designer clothes and proper makeup, a far cry from the rough-but-opinionated Archie of Sairat. The lead actor shows promise, but cannot match up to the raw innocence of Parshya in Nagraj Manjule’s blockbuster. 

As much as the makers deny that it is a remake (they've used the word adaptation) of Sairat, Dhadak tries to copy every scene from the original, but without the essence or flavour. The second half has been tweaked to make that distinction, but it fails to create the tension that it’s supposed to. Sairat had a running time of three hours, but every minute had the viewer engrossed. In the case of Dhadak, you wonder when it will end.  

Even as an independent film, Dhadak falls short on most counts. It is nothing, but an insult to Sairat. The best way to pay tribute to the incredible Marathi film is to watch it again on Netflix.  

- Kunal Purandare 

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