Dhak dhak

It is a 2023 Indian Hindi film. A road adventure drama written & directed by Tarun Dudeja & produced by Ajit Andhare, Kevin Vaz, Pranjal Khandhdiya & Taapsee Pannu. It stars Ratna Pathak Shah, Diya Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh & Sanjana Sanghi.

The film was released on 13 October 2023. Running time is 137 minutes.

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.

Filming took place in Greater Noida, New Delhi, then Manali, Himachal Pradesh before moving on to Leh, Ladakh. It was shot across 83 locations. The filming was completed in 40 days & wrapped up in June 2022.

Sajesh Mohan of Onmanorama observes, ’embarking on a journey to Khardung La on Royal Enfield Bullets is aapromise of adventure in itself. Yet, the directorTarun Dudeja , in his debut film , takes it a step further by forming an all women biker gang. It’s a world where the trials & tribulations of Mahi, Uzma, Sky & Manjari all convergeon a single theme- theexperience ofbeing womenin a prejudiced & predatory patriarchal society’

Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express in a less positive review has written, 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 & machines. And finally the most elusive, precious element, the connection which binds us despite our differences’.

Prathyush Parasuraman of Film Campanion said, ‘Road trip to Nowhere’with ‘insane & predictable’ plot elements in the second half.

Ratna Pathak Shah is a talented actress. I have been following her from her popular series on TV ‘Idhar Udhar in the 1980s. TV series was a new concept then. I had to wait for every Sunday morning. My TV experience started from 1979, very strong till date.

Dia Mirza Rekhi is famous since winning the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000. From ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ in 2001 I have seen her grow. I have loved her work since ages. The 2016 Ganga – the soul of India has Dia as herself. “Thappad’ is all Taapsi Pannu but a small role that Dia has is superb.

Fatima Sana Shaikh started as a child artist in films like ‘Chachi 420’ in 1997 & ‘One 2 ka 4’ in 2001. In 2016, she portrayed wrestler Geeta Phogat in ‘Dangal’ which was a smash hit.

Sanjana Sanghi made her debut in ‘Rockstar’ 2011 as a child artist. Her break through with ‘Dil Bechara’ 2020 with Sushant Singh Rajput followed by a couple of films. She moves with ease with all the senior actresses. She brings in the freshness to her role as required.

Road trips are always entertaining. Marathi Movie ‘Bindhast’ had a couple of female teens on a run. It was a breakthrough film of that genre. On bike they made a lovely pair.

Recently ‘Uunchai’ 2022 Hindi film had three aged friends taking a trek to the Everest Base Camp to fulfil their fourth friend’s last wish. A simple trek turns to be a personal, emotional & spiritual journey as they battle their physical limitations & discover the true meaning of freedom.

With it’s limitations it was a better film. Amitabh being the main attraction. With Anupam Kher, Boman Irani & Sarika.

Lauding the effort of a debut is our responsibility. He will surely handle his next project better. Looking forward to the next one, already.