‘Bollywood too chicken to make caste-based oppression film' - Netizens react to Dadak 2 being a remake of Mari Selvaraj’s Pariyerum Perumal

Five years ago, Mari Selvaraj made a glorious directorial debut with Pariyerum Perumal, a film based on caste-discrimination. The movie received massive critical acclaim and became one of the cult classics of the decade. However, when Karan Johar announced his new project Dhadak 2, fans began expressing their disappointment upon learning that the film is a remake of the Tamil film. 

For the unversed, Pariyerum Perumal, directed by Mari Selvaraj and starring Kathir and Anandhi, follows a lower-caste law student whose relationship with an upper-caste girl leads to relentless harassment from her family.

Dhadak, starring Ishaan Khattar and Janhvi Kapoor, was also a remake of the Marathi film Sairat, which narrated the story of caste-based oppression involving a romance between a couple, who belonged to different castes. However, the Hindi remake faced criticism for glossing over the topic of caste discrimination. Many netizens took to their social media handles to express their opinions on Bollywood remaking a film based on a serious subject, fearing that the film might ruin the innocence and rawness of Pariyerum Perumal.

Many users expressed concerns that the makers might 'ruin' the original story by making changes to the core plot of the film. One user wrote, "I'll go berserk if Dhadak 2 in any way messes with the essence of Pariyerum Perumal. The climax was a piece of ART, hope they don't alter (ruin) it the way they did in Dhadak by exaggerating the raw climax of Sairat."

Also read: Panchayat 3 - Is Jitendra Kumar getting paid MORE than Neena Gupta per episode?

Drawing comparisons with the 2018 film Dhadak, a few netizens expressed their displeasure over the remake news and are certain that the filmmakers might fail to remake the hit film. "Dhadak was a bad remake of Sairat, and I have no doubts about Dhadak 2 ruining the masterpiece Pariyerum Perumal," one user wrote.

Another user pointed out that Bollywood makes films according to their convenience and never according to the subject, stating that the makers are afraid of portraying real stories based on caste discrimination. One user wrote, "Bollywood is making Dhadak 2, and it's a remake of Pariyerum Perumal. Knowing Bollywood, they are too chicken to have the theme of caste oppression as the main talking point, so my suggestion is make any random love story, but if you can't depict the politics of Pariyerum Perumal, don't remake it."

Also read: Rashmika Mandanna wants to work with THIS director

Here’s how X users have reacted to the remake news:

More about Dhadak 2

Starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri in the leading roles, the upcoming film is directed by Shazia Iqbal and is produced under Dharma Productions, Zee Studios, and Cloud 9 Pictures. The movie is slated to be released on November 22, 2024.

Enjoy 35+ OTTs like ZEE5, LionsgatePlay, Ullu, SunNXT, SonyLIV, Fancode and 250+ Live TV channels at just ₹99