The trailer of the much-delayed Dhadak 2 was unveiled on Friday by the makers. The film was stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for some time and had to go through certain cuts as it deals with the topic of caste. It is a remake of the hard-hitting Tamil film, Pariyerum Perumal (2018), helmed by Mari Selvaraj and produced by Pa Ranjith.
Pariyerum Perumal told the story of Pariyan (Kathir), who belongs to an oppressed caste and joins a law college in order to become a lawyer like BR Ambedkar. While studying at the college, he befriends Jothi Mahalakshmi (Anandhi), who belongs to an upper caste, and teaches him English. Their growing bond ultimately becomes a hurdle for the two as her family starts to mentally and physically harass Pariyan as he belongs to an oppressed caste.
The film talks about the prevalence of caste discrimination in today’s times with some stark imagery and powerful metaphors. Selvaraj drew inspiration from his own short story collection Thamirabaraniyil Kollapadathavaragal (Those not killed in the Thamirabarani) to make the film. After its release, the film was widely appreciated for its portrayal of the brutalities of caste and presenting a narrative that ultimately ends with a spark of hope.
Interestingly, Pariyerum Perumal received a ‘U’ certificate from the CBFC at the time of its release with just two minor mutes in the dialogue. Reportedly, the CBFC members had praised the film and passed it as suitable for viewing for family audiences.
However, the remake, Dhadak 2, helmed by debutante director Shazia Iqbal, faced hurdles from the CBFC. It underwent over 16 cuts, with caste slurs being muted and mention of ‘Savarna’ being removed. Moreover, it has been given a U/A 16+ certificate, which is the second highest maturity classification below A.
The film was stuck with the censor board for almost a year. It was initially set to be released on November 2024 but its release was later postponed to March, a date it also missed. In a rant on his Instagram stories about the condition of Bollywood, director Anurag Kashyap had mentioned Dhadak 2, saying that it has been stuck at the censors.
Now, the film is set to be released in theatres on August 1. It stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri and is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.
The makers of Dhadak 2 have skipped mentioning in the trailer that the film is a remake of Pariyerum Perumal. Last year, when the film was announced, it was mentioned briefly on the poster that it is based on the Tamil film.
Dhadak 2 is also a spiritual successor to Dhadak (2018) which was a remake of Nagraj Manjule’s Marathi film, Sairat. The film drew heavy criticism after its release for sidelining the caste angle of Sairat. In the film, the characters of Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor came from different economic classes but the caste dynamics of Nagraj Manjule directorial didn’t translate in the Hindi version.