'Do Patti' Review: Why Kajol, Kriti Sanon's new movie makes it challenging to stay invested

Director: Shashanka Chaturvedi

Cast: Kajol, Kriti Sanon, Shaheer Sheikh

Rating: 2.5 stars

Watching writer Kanika Dhillon’s films is like observing the sea when the weather is unpredictable. It appears calm and composed one moment, then turns rough and thrilling, hinting at an approaching storm, only to settle suddenly, becoming completely still and tepid.

Undoubtedly, Dhillon — one of Bollywood’s few A-list female writers — is an original thinker. Her stories often have intriguing premises, featuring strong, complex, unapologetic female characters and intricate plots. Yet, they rarely deliver a fully satisfying experience, leaving one feeling they could have been much better. Films like Manmarziyan, Judgementall Hai Kya, and Haseen Dillruba 1 and 2 all follow this familiar pattern. (Let’s not talk about Dunki and Raksha Bandhan please.)

This brings us to the latest film in her repertoire, Do Patti, now streaming on Netflix, for which she is credited not only with the story, screenplay, and dialogues but also as co-producer alongside Kriti Sanon. Directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi, the movie explores multiple themes: domestic violence, sibling rivalry, obsession, love triangles, childhood trauma and law versus justice. Leading the charge are two remarkable ladies — Kajol, the firebrand star of the ’90s and early 2000s, and Sanon, counted among today’s most talented young actors.

The ingredients are all there so what could possibly go wrong? Well, in this case, a lot —all thanks to a weak and weird screenplay, and some terrible acting (more on that later).

Kriti plays identical twins, Saumya and Shailee, living in a small hill town with a foster mother (Tanvi Azmi). As with most Hindi films that defy scientific logic, the twins look really similar, right from the body type to the eyebrows and voice. But as with most Hindi films, their personalities are diametrically different. Shailee is the bold, wild and adventurous one who wears skimpy clothes, has short hair and a devil-may-care attitude. Naturally, she smokes and drinks while Saumya is demure, shy and conservative with long tresses. (At least with a female writer and producer, one would imagine this stereotype of wild and vile = smoking-drinking-westernised woman and sweet and nice = demure, sacrificing Indianised girl would be subverted but alas.)

Shailee hates Saumya and is in constant competition with her, for reasons that are not really explained. Things reach a head when they both fall for the same guy — Dhruv Sood (Shaheer Sheikh). Dhruv is a rake who flirts with both sisters, falls for the wild one but marries the comely girl. Thus far, it’s a love triangle.

The film takes a sudden twist into domestic violence, escalating to an attempted murder. Tasked with untangling who’s faking, who’s guilty, and what’s really going on in the Sood household is Haryanvi cop and lawyer VJ aka Vidya Jyoti (Kajol). More twists follow — some predictable, others not so much. By the conclusion, the simplistic story has taken a convoluted path, riddled with plot holes, unexplained details, and inexplicable character shifts. Even the social message on domestic violence, capped with statistics, does little to redeem it.

The inconsistency in pitch, tone and character arcs is the main failing of Do Patti. For instance, Shailee, who does everything in her capacity to hurt Saumya (to the extent of impersonating Saumya on her wedding day to cosy up to her husband), suddenly undergoes an extreme change of heart. What brought this on? Dhruv is a happy-go-lucky flirt but what makes him a monster? How does the meek Saumya get the courage to turn into an avenging angel?

Far worse is the liberties taken with the law and process. Kajol is the policewoman handling the case who also dons the lawyer’s robe to fight the case for the victim in court. And in the next scene goes back to being an investigative officer. Is a cop with an active job working on a case allowed to argue the same case? Legal experts, please help.

The abundance of unanswered questions makes it challenging to stay invested in the characters. Certain scenes, particularly those addressing domestic violence, are handled thoughtfully, sparking genuine curiosity about what might unfold. Yet, as the story progresses, nothing of true significance occurs, leaving you feeling perplexed and unfulfilled.