Story: The film follows the journey of Nilesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi), a law student from an oppressed caste who falls in love with his classmate Vidhi (Triptii Dimri), an upper-caste girl. Men from Vidhi’s family humiliate and harass him in a bid to protect their so‑called honour.Review: A remake of the Tamil movie Pariyerum Perumal and a sequel to Dhadak, director Shazia Iqbal’s film sets the narrative tone early on with the grim killing of a man for being in a relationship with a girl from an upper caste. The story then shifts to its protagonists, Nilesh and Vidhi, while touching upon the treatment of students from lower castes by their peers. Nilesh is ridiculed for his English, and a professor unceremoniously throws him out of class after dubbing his admission a “free seat.” Nilesh reminds us, “Free ki badi keemat chukaani padti hai” (one needs to pay the price for anything free). Alongside their budding romance, the narrative tackles the issue of casteism.The film delivers several heart‑wrenching moments depicting the injustice meted out to oppressed castes—some subtle, such as Vidhi’s father (Harish Khanna) leaving out Nilesh’s surname from the guest list to his elder daughter’s wedding, and others painfully blatant, like Nilesh being smeared with sludge by classmates. The plot also explores the violence and false allegations people from lower castes often endure. While these incidents are gut‑wrenching, the romantic arc between the leads feels underdeveloped.Written by Iqbal and Rahul Badwelkar, the narrative occasionally feels repetitive as it focuses heavily on Nilesh’s oppression. It also touches on student politics, showing Nilesh’s initial reluctance to get involved and hinting at his change of heart later, but the track fizzles out.The world of Dhadak 2 is bleak but not entirely black and white. The college dean (Zakir Hussain), himself from a lower caste, recalls how he was beaten to keep him from studying, yet now influential people seek him out for their children’s admission. Nilesh’s upper‑caste friend remains steadfastly by his side.Despite the intense subject matter, the film finds room for moments of humour that land well. The pacing is steady and Iqbal’s direction effective, though the final payoff could have been stronger. The narrative builds to a high, but the resolution is abrupt. The music, especially Siddharth–Garima’s soulful Duniya Alag and Javed–Mohsin’s heartfelt Bas Ek Dhadak, beautifully complements the narrative.Siddhant Chaturvedi is excellent, capturing the transformation from a meek young man to a self‑assured individual. Triptii Dimri is convincing as a naive yet supportive partner, while Vipin Sharma makes a brief but memorable impact as Nilesh’s father.The film is an engaging and heart‑rending watch, though the final resolution feels a touch restrained. It is worth watching for its sincere and sensitive portrayal of an issue that continues to plague society even today, and for a stellar performance by Siddhant Chaturvedi.
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