Dhak Dhak Sequel In The Works? Producer Pranjal Khandhdiya Spills The Beans On It

‘Dhak Dhak’ is truly one-of-a-kind, just as the producer said. It unfolds the journey of four women from diverse backgrounds riding from Delhi to Khardung La on bikes. The story is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, joy, and uncertainty, fueled by their determination to prove skeptics wrong.

Khandhdiya hinted that the sequel could maintain the original four female characters or possibly introduce male characters into the mix. “The same four characters might remain or we might introduce new characters or even bring in some male characters. But then, it’s a matter of how we take the story forward. However, the audience will definitely get to be part of this journey. ‘Dhak Dhak’ will not stop at Khardung La. The journey continues,” he said.

Khandhdiya’s journey as a film producer has been a tale of learning and excitement. Formerly a top studio executive at Sony Pictures, where he played a key role in films like ‘Piku’ and ‘Soorma’, he took a leap into independence. In just four years, he’s produced five quality films, including award-winning ‘Kacchey Limbu’ with Radhika Madan, Filmfare nominated ‘Rashmi Rocket’ and ‘Blurr’ with Taapsee Pannu, ‘Dhak Dhak’, and ‘Sweet Dreams’, a millennial rom-com with Mithila Palkar and Amol Parashar. With two more films in the pipeline and a remake of an Iranian film on the horizon, Khandhdiya is shaping a dynamic career in the world of cinema.

Khandhdiya isn’t fond of the term ‘women-centric’ films, and he’s hesitant to label ‘Dhak Dhak’ as one. For him, a film’s essence lies in a compelling story that entertains. He strongly believes in the potency of good writing to drive a film’s success. “The audiences today are matured and they can sense the story way ahead. Hence, any story that excites the audience with a new concept becomes attractive. With this belief, we choose our subjects wisely. We aren’t averse to subjects that have male characters. In fact, our selection of stories is gender neutral. It so happens that in today’s world the ladies are far more experimental and have multifold layers and hence those characters become appealing. All four characters of ‘Dhak Dhak’ are real,” he said.

Putting together a film with an ensemble cast like in ‘Dhak Dhak’ is quite a challenge, as the producer pointed out. Managing multiple talented actors is no easy task. “This is one of the biggest reasons why Bollywood doesn’t see many ensembles. In our case, it wasn’t just a regular ensemble, but it was a complex casting of four women of different age brackets, social strata and upbringing. We were clear about not compromising on the age as the character of Mahi (Ratna Pathak Shah) is 65-years-old. We wanted to cast a genuine senior actor. We knew no actor would be ready to take the risk. But there was Ratna ji who showed confidence and we just got lucky to have her. Other three casting was so bang on that when we approached them, as they were our first choice and they readily said yes,” said Khandhdiya.