''Dhak Dhak'' is a 2023 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by Tarun Dudeja and produced by

Ajit Andhare Ajit Andhare is an Indian businessman, entrepreneur, who is currently chief operating officer at Viacom18 Studios. Career Ajit currently serves as the chief operating officer at Viacom 18 Motion Pictures (VMP), the motion pictures business of V ...

, Kevin Vaz, Pranjal Khandhdiya and

Taapsee Pannu Tapasee Pannu (born 1 August 1987), professionally known as Taapsee Pannu, is an Indian actress who works in Hindi, Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil films. Pannu is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards and a Filmfare OTT Award ...

under the banner of BLM Pictures, Outsider Films Productions and

Viacom18 Studios Viacom18 Studios is an Indian film distribution and production company. It is a subsidiary of JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries, Viacom18 and Disney India. Based in Mumbai, It is one of the first studio model based motion pi ...

. It stars

Ratna Pathak Shah Ratna Pathak Shah (born 7 August 1957) is an Indian actress and director known for her work in Hindi theatre, television, and films. Her extensive work in theatre includes a series of plays in both English and Hindi. She rose to prominence when ...

, Dia Mirza Rekhi,

Fatima Sana Shaikh Fatima Sana Shaikh (born 11 January 1992) is an Indian actress, who works in Hindi films. Shaikh appeared as a child artist in such films as ''Chachi 420'' (1997) and ''One 2 Ka 4'' (2001). In 2016, she portrayed wrestler Geeta Phogat in the top ...

and

Sanjana Sanghi Sanjana Sanghi (born 2 September 1996) is an Indian actress and model who works in Hindi films. She made her acting debut as a child artist in the 2011 film '' Rockstar'' and after appearing in a few supporting roles, she had her breakthrough w ...

. The film was released on 13 October 2023. At the

69th Filmfare Awards The 69th Filmfare Awards is a ceremony, presented by The Times Group, which honors the best Indian Hindi-language films of 2023. ''Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani'' led the ceremony with 20 nominations, followed by ''Animal'' with 19 nomination ...

, the film received three nominations, including Best Actress (Critics) for Shaikh and Best Supporting Actress for Shah.

Plot

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.

Cast

Production

In May 2022, the film was announced by

Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Viacom18 Studios is an Indian film distribution and production company. It is a subsidiary of JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries, Viacom18 and Disney India. Based in Mumbai, It is one of the first studio model based motion pic ...

and stars

Dia Mirza Dia Mirza Rekhi (born Dia Handrich; 9 December 1981) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. She won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000 after being crowned Femina Miss India Asia Pacific 2000. Mirza made her ...

and

. The

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

of the film began in May 2022. The filming took place in

Greater Noida Greater Noida is a planned city located in the Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was created as an extension of the area under the ''UP Industrial Area Development Act, of 1976''. Situated southeast ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, followed by

Manali, Himachal Pradesh Manali () is a resort town, near Kullu town in Kullu district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated in the northern end of the Kullu Valley, formed by the Beas River. The town is located in the Kullu district, approximately ...

before moving on to

Leh Leh () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

, and it was shot across 83 locations. The filming was completed in 40 days and wrapped up in June 2022.

Soundtrack

Reception

On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, 70% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. Reviewing the movie, Sajesh Mohan of '' Onmanorama'' wrote, "embarking on a journey to Khardung La on Royal Enfield Bullets is a promise of adventure in itself. Yet, director Tarun Dudeja, in his debut film, takes it a step further by forming an all-women biker gang. This ride turns into an unforgettable pilgrimage with the charming and evergreen

as Mahi,

as Uzma,

as Sky, and

as Manjari. Tarun, collaborating with co-writer Parijat Joshi, assembles this group of riders from the bustling streets of Delhi. It's a world where the trials and tribulations of Mahi, Uzma, Sky, and Manjari all converge on a single theme—the experience of being women in a prejudiced and predatory patriarchal society." A critic from ''

Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...

'' rated the film 2.5/5 stars and wrote "''Dhak Dhak'' is a well-intentioned genuine effort laced with some fine performances by the leading ladies. But due to a weak second half and negligible buzz, the film will suffer at the box office." In a less positive review, Shubhra Gupta of ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...

'' wrote "The Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza starrer is a patchy effort." But she added, "Dhak Dhak’ starts off with many of the expected tropes playing out in a movie of this kind. Very different women, from different walks of life. Troubled past. Conflicted present. All looking for a way out, a way forward. Bumps on the road. Breakdowns of men and machines. And finally, that most elusive, precious element, the connection which binds us despite our differences." In a slightly negative review, Prathyush Parasuraman of ''

Film Companion Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-defunct digital platform Film Compani ...

'' said, "Road Trip to Nowhere" with "inane and predictable" plot elements in the second half.

Sequel

A sequel, ''Dhak Dhak 2'', has been confirmed by actress Sanjana Sanghi, who played the character of Manjari. Sanjana shared the news on her social media.

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, India, Film Indian drama films 2020s Hindi-language films Indian drama road movies 2020s drama road movies Hindi-language drama films Indian road movies Films set in Ladakh Films about women in India Films shot in Ladakh Films about travel Films about vacationing Motorcycling films Fictional portrayals of the Himachal Pradesh Police Films shot in Delhi Indian buddy comedy-drama films Indian road comedy-drama films Fictional portrayals of the Ladakh Police Films set in Delhi Films set in Himachal Pradesh Indian feminist films