Dhadak 2: A Love Story that Knew No Silence
As was the case for Dhadak 2, its announcement was more than just another romantic sequel, but a statement. After all, it was a sequel was being released 7 years after Dhadak (2018), the very film that launched the careers of Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, and a sequel of such a film carries a fair bit of anticipation. In saying that, Iqbal said that she wasn’t interested in revisiting the pastel romance of her predecessor. Rather, she meant to tell the unvarnished, and bruised, real-world tale: one that dealt with, in the rawest, the matters of love and all its complications — issues such as caste, privilege, and the price one pays for love that crossing unseen boundaries.
Dhadak 2’s provocative mission, starring Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi, was to refocus the audience’s gaze. Love stories become vehicles for the unspoken violence that permeates the fabric of the country.
An Unconventional Love Story
At its core, Dhadak 2 focuses on Neelesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi), a law student from a marginalized caste family and aspiring to gain social mobility through education, and Vidhi (Triptii Dimri), an upper-caste privileged girl whose comforts and caste constituents her world as a cushioned paradise. Their college romance begins to develop in a setting that is purportedly designed to ensure egalitarianism, yet, the social order masks a plethora of inequities that are hierarchically arranged.
Confronting the consequences of his dreams is immensely disillusioning as his ambitions are the stuff of nightmares. Each time a professor calls on him, his name is butchered, and his classmates greet him with sneers, and every success is overlaid with dominant, corrosive obscurity. Vidhi, on the contrary, is a privileged upper caste and contemptuously deluded to believe that difference evaporates in the magic of love.
There is no sophisticated drama in the portrayal of their love. It is, in reality, the most exquisite of minorities. Censorship of confrontation, the absence of conflict, and silence in the climax evoke the gravest of descriptors and deliver the most visceral scar. Dhadak 2 embodies a reality where love and resistance are folded into one.
A Different Kind of Hype
Initial reactions to the announcement of Dhadak 2 by Dharma Productions seemed to be divided. Some people were anticipating another Dhadak-styled glossy romance. Others were concerned that the new sequel might attempt to Dhadak’s shortcomings — the failure to address the issue of caste head-on.
The trailer was the first indication that there might be some shift in tone. Long sweeping shots of the Rajasthan deserts were replaced by the stark corridors of a college. Although the color palette was subdued, there was an emotional starkness to the images. There was a willingness to be curious about Siddhant’s intensity and the haunting emptiness of Triptii that stirred the imagination.
Bollywood’s reckoning with caste and privilege was the reality of the moment in social media conversations. These became even more creative with the news that the Censor Board demanded more than a dozen cuts, insisting that the film’s language be sharpened around the caste issue and that a few violent scenes be softened.
The film did attract controversy.
The Characters Beneath the Surface
Both Siddhant and Triptii approached their respective roles like emotional marathons instead of mere performances. Having detached himself from the urban energy associated with his roles in Gully Boy and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Siddhant focused on the set character of Neelesh. Reportedly, he spent time with student activists and visited smaller colleges in Madhya Pradesh. Neelesh experiences subtle day-to-day discrimination, and during his character preparatory work, he focused on what discrimination feels like in day-to-day life. Reportedly he remained character focused between set takes — “quiet, withdrawn, processing Neelesh’s simmering anger.”
Triptii Dimri, who recently achieved success with Animal and Qala, brought a restrained fragility to Vidhi. Her challenge was not to cry louder, but to crumble slowly. She mentioned in interviews that she wanted Vidhi to feel “realistically torn,” not a savior figure, not a villain, but a woman trapped by her upbringing and guilt, and guilt.
Their chemistry was not founded on cinematic sparks, but on tension, hesitation, and the weight of what was unsaid. Director Shazia Iqbal allowed long silences and glances to carry scenes, and trusted the audience to feel the emotional weight.
Behind the Camera – The Struggle to Stay Honest
On location during the filming of Dhadak 2, the crew worked in the cities of Bhopal and Sehore, and in the rural areas of Maharashtra, all the while ensuring filming schedules remained on time and filming conditions were kept simple. Using real colleges and authentic public settings instead of constructed studio sets attested to the crew’s desire to retain a sense of realism and authenticity. Local students were hired to serve as extras during the filming in order to add to the authenticity of the environments depicted in the film.
Sales on the film were troubled during production. The local protests that occurred during the night shoots, possible censorship, and unpredictable weather all created unique difficulties during filming. Yet, the unpredictable nature of the locations provided an opportunity to take artistic risks, using the unrefined elements of a location and the dust of the Bhopal air to create a diverse and textured aesthetic.
As Shazia Iqbal directs her first major production, the new material lauded and brought to attention the social inequities that surrounds the film, calling it shorts. Iqbal’s new material is in fact an extension of the shorts. The argument for the remnants of bold politics within the film is that, her style, both in execution and in theory, is to create elements that serve as film absolutes. Iqbal’s new material is to say the least, an extension of her shorts. The film is a subtle cobweb of the layered theory, one whose demand is of abstraction.
Christopher Bye, the film’s cinematographer, created a sense of intimacy and exhaustion through the use of understated color palettes and extended, uninterrupted captures of footage. The film’s rhythm, and thus the moving images, often created a sense of breathlessness, in contrast to a tender embrace.
The Buzz, The Box Office, and The Divide
In August 2025, when Dhadak 2 was released, expectations were very high. The film was appreciated critically during its release. The reviewers praised its honesty, the controlled rage of Siddanth and the layered vulnerability of Triptii. The performances were said to be “career defining.”
This, however, was not the case during its release at the box office. Dhadak 2 was not as successful as many had predicted. Its serious tone and social commentary left unfulfilled the audiences looking for escapism. The film showed potential during the first weekend, but its viewership rapidly declined afterwards.
Still, the film was appreciated in social media. Fans on Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube praised the film and said it was “the real Dhadak we should have gotten.” In universities it was screened and said to be one of the few mainstream films to portray caste violence.
Siddhant and Triptii, however thought of it as a box office success.
When CInema Mirrors the Country
Dhadak 2 at its core isn’t a romance — it’s a quiet revolution disguised as one. It speaks of the mirage of equality in contemporary India, of how love still needs a warrant. The blood on Neelesh’s shirt, the terror in Vidhi’s eyes, the silence of their friends — how many young Indians still feel when love bravely crosses invisible borders?
The power of the film lies in its still, stark refusal to dramatize injustice. The injustice it portrays offers no heroic climax, no relief resolution, and instead ends with quiet defiance, inviting the audience to reckon with discomfort.
The Indian storytelling tradition associates tragedy with moral awakening, and Dhadak 2 celebrates that spirit. It’s a vital reminder that personal heartbreak isn’t the only kind — sometimes, it’s political.
What Stayed Off the Record
The bond formed between the cast and crew in relation to the emotional heaviness of the story. There were reports of Siddhant breaking down after a scene of public humiliation that he had to perform. Triptii was said to sit in on set in her free time to help with emotional continuity.Some aspects of the final cut didn’t work, but they still were cut, because they made the censor board uncomfortable. A powerful monologue about systemic caste oppression was edited. Some claim the uncut version will likely be available on a streaming service.
For Shazia Iqbal the journey was more personal. She is one of the few female directors to work on caste issues in mainstream cinema. She faced a lot of skepticism, but chose to accept no compromise. The assertiveness of her calm, precise direction has already positioned her as one of the most promising new voices in Hindi cinema.
When the Camera Stopped Rolling
When shooting wrapped, the cast shared that the film had changed how they viewed their own privileges and identities. Siddhant spoke about learning ‘how much of love depends on the world allowing it.’ Triptii spoke about the importance of silence in the context of how saying nothing can still inflict harm.
That’s perhaps the real success of Dhadak 2. It may not have broken any box office records, but it broke something deeper — the self imposed comfort zone of mainstream Hindi cinema. It reminded viewers that love, in this country, is still a fight — and that even in heartbreak, there can be something worth fighting for.
And that’s what makes Dhadak 2 more than a sequel. It’s a confession, a reckoning. A pulse that refuses to fade.