Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 3: Actor Ishaan Khatter, who made his Bollywood debut with the 2018 romantic drama Dhadak, has expressed heartfelt admiration for its recently released sequel, Dhadak 2. Taking to social media, the young star called the film “powerful and meaningful” while applauding Siddhant Chaturvedi’s performance, hailing it as his finest to date.

Khatter, who shared screen space with Janhvi Kapoor in the original film, posted Dhadak 2’s poster on his Instagram Stories and penned a note of appreciation. “#Dhadak2 is a powerful and meaningful film and a great feature debut for @shaz.3.0. @karanjohar championing all kinds of stories with grit,” he wrote. He further added, “I am elated for you, brother, you were all heart in this and so good. Your best so far,” in reference to Siddhant Chaturvedi.

Directed by Shazia Iqbal, Dhadak 2 offers a fresh storyline, moving away from the original's narrative. The film tells the story of a law student who falls in love with a classmate, leading to emotional upheaval due to caste-based discrimination. It is an adaptation of the critically acclaimed Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal and features Triptii Dimri in the lead alongside Chaturvedi. Veteran actors Zakir Hussain and Saurabh Sachdeva play key supporting roles.

Despite high expectations and a meaningful plot, Dhadak 2 has struggled to leave a mark at the box office. Early figures suggest that the film collected Rs 3.5 crore on its opening day, with marginal growth on Saturday at Rs 3.75 crore. Sunday’s early estimates indicate a dip to around Rs 2.75 crore, bringing the weekend total to an estimated Rs 10 crore.

The film faces stiff competition from new releases, including Son of Sardaar 2 featuring Ajay Devgn, and previous box office giants like Saiyaara, which continues its strong run, and the animated epic Mahavatar Narsimha, now nearing the Rs 100 crore milestone.