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Do Patti Review: The movie is a little twisted, a little suspenseful, and purply dark. The identical twins we see in Hindi popular films are always diametrically opposed in terms of temperament. This is also true of the couple in Shashanka Chaturvedi’s Netflix movie Do Patti; despite having the same appearance, they have different personalities and manners. However, the movie departs from the genre’s overarching narrative template. The emergence of streamers may have given Mumbai films some freedom, but old habits do not go away. At the heart of Kanika Dhillon’s script, Do Patti, is an old trope. The typical confusion-caused-by-mistaken identity construct is avoided, though.
Do Patti is a little twisted, a little suspenseful, and purply dark. In the movie, which is the first time lead actress Kriti Sanon has acted in a production, the lookalikes hate and distrust one another. Persistently painting the other girl into a corner, the stronger of the two girls gains the upper hand.
The plot weaves its way into the realm of police (and legal) procedure, mainly relying on the two parties’ differences and confusing animosity. An honest female inspector enters. She decides to find the truth after receiving a complaint of domestic abuse.
Kriti Sanon essays a dual role, the first of her career. She understandably has more screen time than anyone else in the cast. Co-actor Kajol is the cop. She is never participated in one before.
Given her keen understanding of Kajol’s contributions, Kanika Dhillon allows her to access a range of emotional states. Kajol has all the answers as a small-town police inspector who puts on a lawyer’s robe when the story of two sisters becomes too complicated. She makes excellent use of them.
It is clear that the screenwriter, who is also one of the film’s two producers, the director, and the two lead actors are aware of the situation. They respond to its demands as best they can. However, Do Patti plays a rather dull hand as a mystery film with plot twists and turns meant to keep the audience guessing.
Although Kajol is the trump card, which is a good beginning, the movie is not as clever as it wants to be. It is not so much a whodunit as it is a mild head-scratcher that leaves no significant surprises at the end.
The policewoman, the troubled twins, and a wealthy, entitled young man who marries one of the siblings but still has feelings for the other are the film’s four main characters. They engage in a tussle that is as captivating as a lazy game of cards. It is a decent way to kill time.
Does Patti have an opinion on a significant issue? However, it does not deliver a sucker punch. At best, the audience is led to the escalating tension between the sisters, Saumya and Shailee (Kriti Sanon), by a series of weak prods and gentle nudges.
The twins compete for the same man, Dhruv Sood (Shaheer Sheikh), son of a well-connected politician-businessman. Naturally, that exacerbates the conflict that has existed since they were young.
Do Patti’s serious issues—generational trauma, domestic violence, and destructive masculinity—are entwined in a poisonous love triangle, the consequences of which spread beyond the family and catch Inspector Vidya Jyoti Kanwar’s attention.
Like Seeta and Geeta, the twins (Saumya and Shailee are portrayed by two sets of real-life sisters) differ in their behaviour as infants and children. One is docile, stoic, and sickly. She typically wears simple salwar suits. The other is sporty, adventurous, and svelte and self-assertive. She dresses more flamboyantly.
At the age of eight, the pushy Shailee is sent to a hostel to stop her from constantly needling the meek The only person who can see what the tougher sibling is doing is Saumya, a mild-mannered governess (Tanvi Azmi), who makes fruitless attempts to control her. Shailee is raised outside of the family.
Many years later, she returns to the fictional hill town of Devipur. She hasn’t forgotten her vow to settle scores with her estranged sister. After falling in love with Saumya, Dhruv marries her, but not before starting (and maintaining) a risky liaison with the alluring Shailee.
Despite appearing calm from a distance, Dhruv and Saumya’s marriage is far from perfect. An incident resulting from the erratic relationship drags the couple into the whirlpool of a police investigation.
Why do Hindi suspense movies gravitate so persistently towards hill stations enveloped in floating fog? In addition to the apparent link between mystery and mist, the theory likely holds that people’s psychological issues and desire to hide their actual emotions are more severe the higher they live above sea level.
Do Patti kicks off with a paragliding outing gone awry. Because of the question that lingers around that flashpoint—was it an accident or a murder attempt?—the movie returns to the incident multiple times over the course of the following few hours.
Inspector Vidya Jyoti, VJ for short, recently transferred to Devipur, isn’t sure, but she has reason to believe there is more to the case than meets the eye. Saumya accuses her husband of trying to kill her. The latter pleads innocence. The cops have no way of knowing who is speaking the truth. Thus, Vidya Jyoti is forced to delve further.
The inspector, a stickler for rules, is a lone ranger. She is single by choice. Her father, a judge, instilled in her the importance of following “the word of the law.” She learnt to respect “the spirit of the law.” from her lawyer-mother.
For the audience’s benefit, her coworker Constable Katoch (played by Brijendra Kala) reminds her that she used to have no problem taking punitive action against her own brother. According to Katoch, family is family. Law is law, VJ replies.
After the opening paragliding sequence, the film cuts to three months earlier and the aforementioned suspected case of domestic violence. Do Patti reaches what seems to be a climax—a courtroom battle—about thirty minutes before it concludes. The movie does not stop there.
Kriti Sanon makes a fair fist of her double act, deftly shuffling the cards at her disposal for maximum effect. However, as was already mentioned, the reason why some parts of Do Patti are better to watch than others is because they feature a strong and consistent Kajol.
Television actor Shaheer Sheikh has just enough to do in the female-centric film not to be an also-ran. Particularly noteworthy is Tanvi Azmi, who portrays the role of the liaison between the police officer and the tumultuous family the latter investigates.
Due to her weak hand, Do Patti is burdened. To make a game of it, much better cards were required.
- Cast:
- Kajol, Kriti Sanon, Shaheer Sheikh
- Director:
- Shashanka Chaturvedi