Karan Johar’s Dhadak released in 2018 and gave the industry two young stars – Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, who went on to carve a niche for themselves in the industry. The remake of the 2016 Marathi cult classic Sairat was written and directed by Shashank Khaitan. Despite its average performance at the box office and mixed reactions from critics, the film gained popularity for its music composed by Ajay-Atul.
Six years later, Dharma Productions along with Zee Studios and Cloud 9 Pictures announced Dhadak 2 earlier today. Starring Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi, the film – much like its first instalment – is themed on two youngsters who fight for their love against the backdrop of caste differences. Dhadak 2 is seemingly a spiritual sequel with Shazia Iqbal taking on the role of a director.
When News18 Showsha reached out to Dhadak director Shashank, he generously expressed his excitement about a sequel to his film. “I’m extremely happy. I’m sure that it’s going to be a very, very powerful story. I’m also excited about young actors coming up and telling social stories. I’m really looking forward to Dhadak 2. I think it was a very bold reveal in terms of how they announced the title and unveiled the actors,” he told us.
Without divulging much, he stated that he already had a conversation with Karan on the film but hasn’t had the opportunity to share feedback with the director yet. “Karan and I had a conversation about Dhadak 2. We operate from the same office and we see each other almost every day. But I haven’t had the chance to speak to the director yet because I’m keeping busy with my projects,” he added.
For Shashank, this announcement is rather special as it takes the legacy of his passion project Dhadak ahead. “I’m sending my best wishes to everyone associated with the film. Dhadak is home territory for me. And to top that, it’s a Dharma film,” says the maker, who’s currently working on Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari starring Varun Dhawan, Janhvi, Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf.
While Dhadak marked Janhvi’s acting debut, she recently revealed to us that she was supposed to start her journey with another film by Karan. “There was a conversation of me doing another Dharma film. I would go to his office once every week and he would give me a scene. Sharan (Sharma) was his AD at that point and Karan was working on Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Sharan’s job was to print out a scene every day from films like Jab We Met and Kapoor & Sons, among others, and give it to me. As homework, I had to learn it and come and audition for Karan although he never referred to it as an audition. I think he was just gauging me,” she said.
