Dhak Dhak Review: Heartwarming Road adventure drama that celebrates women just as they deserve to be
Dhak Dhak Movie Rating: 3 Stars
Finally watched Dhak Dhak movie on Netflix. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanjana Sanghi
Director: Tarun Dudeja
Release Date: 13th October 2023 in cinemas & 8th December 2023 on Netflix
Story: Movie revolves around four ladies from different backgrounds embark on a trip to Khardung La in Leh on motorcycle. While three of them are young, the fourth is a grandma. Sky (Fatima Sana Shaikh) is a motorcycle reviewer and influencer trying to break her inadvertent scandalous social media image and storm the male bastion to create her own identity. She is in dire need of some banging content that can get her channel back on track and ensure that she gets to cover Barcelona’s Auto Expo.
While looking for ideas, she gets to know about Mahi (Ratna Pathak Shah) who is a free-spirited senior woman who learnt how to ride a motorcycle out of sheer helplessness. Mahi tells Sky that it’s her dream to ride her bike at Khardung La Pass, the highest motorable road in the world. Sky agrees to take her there knowing that this is the story she wants to tell.
When both try to get their bike fixed, they bump into Uzma (Dia Mirza). Suffocated by the kind of life that she’s living and to afford a laptop for her daughter with the amount offered by Sky, she agrees to join the two women. Manjari (Sanjana Sanghi) is enrolled for the women’s bike trip by her relative Martha. Like every woman part of the bike trip, she is also going through personal struggles.
All four of them have distinct personalities and the journey is tough and full of obstacles. The story that follows is about the journey of the four women as they combat their inner evils and discover what they really want from life.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Story
3. Cinematography
4. Direction
5. Screenplay
Negatives
1. Length
2. Climax
3. Music
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to skip this movie in theatre and watch this one on OTT as trailer looks good in parts only.
Four women set out for a road trip to the highest motorable pass in the world on their bikes on a journey of self-discovery. They take their motorcycles like large-winged birds to a gust of wind. They ride beyond the limits of their lives and to the heights of freedom.
Dhak Dhak is a heartfelt story about four ladies who come with their own baggage, and bond during their trip. Screenplay has a number of entertaining light moments, but the heartfelt and emotional scenes are quite predictable. Yet, there is a certain warmth about the drama which touches the heart. Like a true-blue journey, the film portrays characters who teach life lessons through simplicity, delivered through memorable dialogues. A truck driver encourages Manjari to look at problems objectively and says, ‘Apni problem mein tension lena aur doosre ki problem mein solution dena, yeh toh insaan ki fitrat hai. Is liye kabhi khudke padosi ban kar dekho.’ Just like while travelling in a real-life, while you are aware of your destination but cannot predict what will happen during the journey, the turn of events in the story is refreshing. Ratna Pathak Shah as a loving, shy, and cheeky Punjabi grandma, Fatima Sana Shaikh as a firebrand girl dealing with her demons, Dia Mirza as a jugaadu mechanic with stifled dreams, and Sanjana Sanghi as the klutzy and overprotected simple girl are outstanding in their roles. Movie races your heart and spirit to set out on the road, to treat yourself to a journey of self-discovery because, as Mahi says in the film, ‘you can find happiness the moment you open your eyes’.
On the flipside, the film did feel a bit lengthy in its content. A slightly crisp screenplay would have been the cherry on the cake. The background music is effective in parts, but majorly is forgettable. After a cracking first half, the film’s pace drops a bit, although it never feels unengaging. However, towards the end, Dhak Dhak becomes overdramatic and that fairly dilutes the impact that the film could have had, had the second half matched the levels of the first. Slight trimming and a better climax could have made better impact. Nothing much happens in the first hour of the post-interval portion. The four ladies spare Moshe (Benedict Garrett) despite his wrongdoing and this is difficult to digest. The same goes for the sequence when Manjari’s parents allow her to continue her journey on a bike, though they are livid with her.
Overall, it is a lovely film that feels like a tight hug. It celebrates women just as they deserve to be. The movie is full of heart. Despite a few lags in the second half, it ends up being an enjoyable film that deserves to be watched by all. It is a good watch for its storytelling and visual appeal, and the dramatic experience can be best enjoyed on the big screen. My view on this movie Recommended.
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