Rating: 3 stars out of 5
When a story revolves around four women who decide to hop on their bikes and ride to Leh, you can rest assured there will be adventures and misadventures. In this road trip film, we witness how these four are attempting to break out of their shells and discover who they truly are, unhindered and unfettered. So, who are these four women? There’s auto vlogger Sky (Fatima Sana Sheikh), granny Manpreet Kaur Sethi, aka Mahi (Ratna Pathak Shah), the married Uzma (Dia Mirza), and the yet-to-be-married Manjari (Sanjana Sanghi). Right from the beginning, the tempo is set, emphasizing that ‘girls can have fun too’ and highlighting the challenges they might encounter while trying to enjoy themselves.
Each of the women carries her own baggage and faces challenges she’s trying to cope with. Sky has recently had her heart broken, and there’s a scandal on social media. Nani Mahi is yearning for attention and love in her 60s. Uzma has had enough of her patriarchal husband, while Manjari, who was about to get engaged to a stranger, has been overly protected by her single mother. What is the bond these women form? How does their road trip go? What happens on this journey of self-discovery?
The performances of all four women – Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Sheikh, and Sanjana Sanghi – are spellbinding, and they have truly lived their roles. Given that the characters have been well fleshed out, the scope for performance has been capitalized on by each of the actors. There are issues, fights, misunderstandings, comic moments, and emotional moments on this journey, and the way these women of all ages come together shows that gender is a strong unifier. However, it is Ratna Pathak Shah who holds the film together and she’s the one that stands out.
Having said that, director Tarun Dudeja does rely on stereotypes of women going through certain issues to develop the female characters, and that’s slightly disappointing. Showing some new eureka moments rather than relying on the usual clichés could have enhanced the film. Also, backstories should never overpower the present and should only be used to propel the present day forward. On this aspect, ‘Dhak Dhak’ flounders.
One must mention the cinematography by Sreechith Vijayan Damodar. It is excellent, and you can truly enjoy the beautiful visuals of the terrain they ride through.
‘Dhak Dhak’ is not a ‘Zindagi na Milegi Dobara’ or a ‘Dil Chahta Hai,’ but it stands out as four women come together to discover who they are. Despite its flaws, ‘Dhak Dhak’ is a fun outing and will definitely inspire some women to embark on their journeys of self-discovery.