MUMBAI: Digital content creator turned debutant actor Aditya Thakare has officially made his mark in Bollywood with his breakout performance in Dhadak 2, the gritty and emotional follow-up to the 2018 romantic drama. Helmed by Shazia Iqbal and produced by Dharma Productions, Dhadak 2 tells a powerful story rooted in caste and class divides and Aditya’s portrayal of Vasu, the protagonist’s loyal friend, has quickly become a fan favourite.
For Aditya, who rose to fame through his quick-witted and relatable online sketches, this opportunity marked a significant transition in his career. But rather than getting caught up in the scale of his Dharma debut, Aditya approached the role with laser focus.
“To be honest, I was so caught up in getting the dialect right for Vasu that I didn’t even have time to process that this was my big-screen debut,” he shares. “I spent a lot of time at Raju Tea Stall in Bhopal just listening to locals talk. I even drew inspiration from some of my own friends I kind of ‘juiced up’ all the funny ones and poured them into Vasu.”
In the film, Vasu is part of a central trio alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, both of whom Aditya admired long before he ever stepped onto a film set. Initially starstruck, Aditya quickly found himself bonding with his co-stars over late-night conversations and on-set camaraderie.
“I’ve always been a fan of Siddhant’s Gully Boy and Triptii’s Qala, so I kept my distance at first, just trying to be respectful,” he recalls. “But Bhopal really brought us together. We’d wrap up shoots and just hang out laughing over silly things and staying up late, even with early calls the next day. That real-life friendship definitely showed up on screen.”
While Aditya’s background in content creation might seem like a far cry from mainstream cinema, he believes it played a big role in making his performance feel natural especially in the film’s lighter moments.
“Creating content online teaches you how to improvise and read a room, even if it’s virtual,” he says. “Those instincts came in handy while filming. It helped me keep Vasu’s humour feeling organic.”
Despite the praise he’s been receiving, Aditya is quick to redirect credit toward his team.
“Honestly, I’m just grateful for the feedback. But if I had to name names it’s Shazia Iqbal and Rahul Badwelkar who believed in me and gave me this beautiful opportunity. I owe it all to them. I’m taking every bit of feedback to heart and growing from it. That, to me, is the real win.”
Still, there was one moment that made the magnitude of this opportunity fully sink in.
“It was the first day of shoot, when they handed me a sipper with the Dharma logo and my name on it,” he laughs. “It was such a small thing, but surreal. I grew up watching Dharma films and dreaming about being in one. Seeing that logo with my name next to it that’s when it hit me. I was living my childhood dream.”
With his first film now out in the world and a wave of positive reactions rolling in, Aditya Thakare is proving that digital creators can, indeed, make the leap and land it with heart, humour, and humility.
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