A Tale of Injustice and Resistance

According to Thomas Jefferson, “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty”. Keeping this phrase in mind, Karan Johar has come out with a sequel to his 2018 romantic drama “Dhadak”, translated as “Heartbeat”. Titled “Dhadak 2”, this spiritual sequel features Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri as the leads, and has been co-written and directed by Shazia Iqbal. It was released theatrically on August 1, 2025.

Dhadak 2 (2025): A Fight For Love

Dhadak 2 (2025) Synopsis:

What happens when you fall in love in the casteism-plagued society in India? The rule of the jungle applies! It’s a fight for survival, where you have to defeat your enemies to secure your love. Neelesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi) must fight this oppression to win his love Vidhi (Triptii Dimri), who comes from an upper caste background. Will he survive this fight, which is directly against Vidhi’s family members, her father and brother, who have just one motive: His death!

The Romantic Track “Bas Ek Dhadak” From Dhadak 2 Featuring Siddhant Chaturvedi as Neelesh and Triptii Dimri as Vidhi

When Falling In Love Becomes A Nightmare: Dhadak 2 (2025) Official Trailer:

The Good:

When Falling In Love Demands A Fight — Dhadak 2: Casting Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri

Dhadak 2 is somewhat better than its prequel. The second half of Dhadak 2 comprised scenes of severe confrontations and fights, making it quite appetising for action and thrill lovers. In contrast, the 2018 prequel was simple and lacked any major confrontations.

The Dhadak franchise is an eye-opener on casteism prevalent in India. It highlights the scenario of oppression and how the lower caste people are denied the privilege of levelling up with the people of the higher caste in society. As a matter of fact, in both films, the girl comes from a higher caste and the boy from a lower caste. After they fall in love, and the girl’s family comes to know about the love affair, they intend to kill the boy. In Dhadak 2, the lead male character receives harrowing torture from the girl’s family, and even a contract killer is hired who almost murders him. By showing this, the film also raises concerns about the occurrence of honor killings in the country.

The Track “Duniya Alag” From Dhadak 2

I have to tell you, Dhadak (2018) was an extremely sluggish movie, which you would want to watch by fast-forwarding most of its parts. However, its tragic climax hit hard on my emotions. It was the unbelievable climax that made Dhadak (2018) shocking, upsetting, and memorable. So, Dhadak 2, the sequel, which came out in 2025, gained my attention.

Dhadak 2 has a different cast as it is not a continuation of its prequel, but is a spiritual sequel. Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri have resorted to natural acting, and their performances are quite convincing as lovers in distress. Saurabh Sachdeva was chilling as a self-righteous hitman who was hired to kill Neelesh.

There are some motivational dialogues in Dhadak 2. Moreover, the small-town cinematography added warmth to the screenplay. One of the songs in Dhadak (2018) was heart-touching. The songs in Dhadak 2 were emotionally gripping as well.

The Bad:

To be honest, the Dhadak franchise is not for theatrical release. The fact is that both the films, Dhadak (2018) as well as its 2025 sequel, are extremely slow-paced. The entire first half of both films’ screenplays will depict fanciful romance between the male and female leads, which can appear stretchy to many among the audience like me.

Saurabh Sachdeva as the hitman in Dhadak 2

I would say Dhadak 2 is not as emotionally impacting as its 2018 prequel because there’s no tragic ending here. Of course, the boy went through a series of unendurable toxicity and torture from the girl’s upper caste family, but the film had a happy ending, unlike its prequel. I’m not saying the happy ending is bad. It’s just not as emotionally hitting as the prequel.

The Track “Tu Meri Dhadak Hai” From Dhadak 2

Dhadak 2, with a run duration of 2 hours and 25 minutes, seemed stretched out. It added to the boredom. I believe that the editing could have been crisper to make this film have a runtime of two hours or less.

I also have no idea when Bollywood will stop copying from the South Indian film industry. If you are amazed by Dhadak 2’s story, then let me make you aware that this is just an exact remake of a 2018 Tamil-language romantic drama named “Pariyerum Perumal”. In fact, the 2018 prequel was a copy too! Unfortunately, Bollywood will never stop its copying business. It hardly entertains new ideas from aspiring writers. I have a personal experience on this. But a fun thing is, I am indirectly evaluating South Indian movies by reviewing these remakes of Bollywood.

Can Love Fight Fate? Presenting Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri in Dhadak 2

The Verdict: A Stretched-Out Story With A Deep Meaning

I am quite surprised as well as disappointed to see the responses of the Indian audience towards recent Bollywood releases. People, especially Gen Z, are literally going head over heels with a shoddy piece of romantic junk by the name “Saiyaara”, which was released on July 18, 2025. Maybe because of the songs, as the musical tracks in Saiyaara are mind-blowing. Simply out of this world!

If you think that Dhadak 2 is another Saiyaara, then you are wrong. The concept, theme, and narrative of the Dhadak franchise go much beyond love. It’s about hardships, the prevalence of injustice in society, a fight to regain one’s love, and secure resilience from societal evils.

Even though Dhadak 2 may not be an enticing theatrical entertainer, when this movie releases on OTT, you can consider watching it once. It can awaken your emotions against the injustice that plagues Indian society.

Injustice Requires Rebellion — Dhadak 2: Running At Your Nearest Theaters!