Domestic abuse. An extremely sensitive and complex subject to talk about, let alone to deal with in cinema. Director Shashanka Chaturvedi tries to address this problem in Do Patti, but does he succeed? Despite his very best efforts, the film stumbles here and there, leaving much scope for improvement in terms of narrative and depth.
Do Patti revolves around twin sisters Saumya and Shailee who, although identical, could not be more different. It is their contrasting personalities and complicated relationship that forms the crux of the story.
Saumya is portrayed as shy, weak in body and mind, and coddled. Shailee has been relegated to the second position, has been sidelined and is thus, jealous of Saumya. The birth of the tension between the two sisters is owed to the untimely death of their mother.
The grown-up Saumya finds who she thinks is the love of her life, Dhruv, involved in the adventure sports business. However, things take a sad turn when Shailee re-enters Saumya's life, catches Dhruv's attention, and starts reliving old conflicts between the sisters. He marries Saumya but cannot do away with his lingering attraction towards Shailee. Shailee, for her part, seems to add fuel to the fire with open flirtations with Dhruv every chance she gets.
While the film had been honest with its subject, execution was far from satisfactory. The story should be intense and profound but feels almost hasty and superficial. Though it is two hours long, which should be more than enough for a detailed elaboration of the plot, the film lacks real depth and storytelling seems too simple.
Kriti Sanon, who plays both Saumya and Shailee, shines in her role, bringing a delicate touch to the character of Saumya. However, her portrayal of Shailee seems somewhat forced and overdone. That being said, Kriti does exceptionally well during the last half-hour of the drama.
Shaheer Sheikh plays the walking red-flag Dhruv Sood pretty well. One minute he’s sweet and charming, sweeping everyone off their feet, and the next minute he throws all morals out the window.
Kajol’s character, Detective Vidhya Jyothi (VJ) had no depth whatsoever and failed to impress. Her character felt incomplete with no motive; any other detective could have done what she had done. Nothing special. It's unfortunate that an actor like Kajol was wasted on such an underwritten role, especially in a film trying to handle such an important subject.
The script by Kanika Dhillon did not do the subject justice. The courtroom scenes have been designed climactic and powerful but feel blunt and mundane, with zero oomph and was an utter snooze fest. The music in the film was half decent, particularily the song Raanjhan, which sounds eerily similar to Ranjha from the 2021 film Shershaah.
The ending of the film was painfully predictable, it makes one think that maybe they are a better detective than VJ. And no, there was nothing presented to the audience beforehand that VJ didn’t already know.
Ultimately, Do Patti is a dull movie despite its great message. The film does attempt to bring out the grim reality of domestic violence, a matter that is quite serious in a country where 32% of women go through some form of abuse—physical, mental, or sexual—by their spouses. Be that as it may, the film carries a much-needed narrative well but makes for an uninspiring and predictable experience.
Watch the film with caution, because they did not hold back on their depiction of domestic abuse.
Film: Do Patti
Director: Shashanka Chaturvedi
Cast: Kajol, Kriti Sanon, Shaheer Sheikh, Tanvi Azmi, and Vivek Mushran
Rating: 2.5/5
