Do Patti review: Kriti Sanon delivers the best performance of her career, but Kajol deserves a more varied role

Last update:October 25, 2024, 12:29 pm EST

To Patti Movie Review: The movie starring Kriti Sanon and Kajol in the lead roles makes for a truly absorbing watch. It keeps you in suspense almost all the time.

To Patti starring Kajol and Kriti Sanon is currently streaming on Netflix.

(Disclaimer: This review contains details of sensitive and potentially disturbing topics, including physical assault, mental illness, and self-harm. Viewer discretion is advised.)

Review the movie Patti: To Patti is a classic example of what happens when women tell women’s stories. Much of the credit goes to the author of the story, screenplay and dialogues, Kanika Dhillon. Once again (let’s forget about Raksha Bandhan) she sketches a group of women who create a delicious mix of flaws, chaos, complexity and nuance, and it is in all this mess that they thrive. If you are looking for beauty in this mess, you may be disappointed. Because “To Patti” is a striking, dark and sometimes uncomfortable portrait of what happens when a mentally ill person is also at the mercy of a physically abusive abuser.

The film, which marks the debut of producer Kriti Sanon, has several layers, each of which is treated with extraordinary sensitivity. The narrative is dominated by themes of violence, betrayal and jealousy. Set in a gray, fictional hill station in Devipur, Do Patti tells the story of identical twin sisters Saumya and Shailee, their lover Varun Sood and investigating officer Vidya Jyoti and their interpersonal relationships.

We learn that the relationship between the twins has been strained since childhood. Saumya is weak and requires constant care. He cries easily and is paranoid about many things. For Shailee, this is all just “drama” to get attention. She feels rejected and is sent to boarding school. Years later, Saumya meets Dhruv, the owner of a paragliding company. It helps her overcome her fear of heights. Soon she begins to lean on him and a romance begins between them.

At this point, Shailee returns home. The best way to describe their current relationship would be the one shared by Veronika and Meera when they fall in love with Gautama (in Cocktail). Kanika here evokes the age-old trope of the good and evil twin. There is a spark between Shailee and Varun, and he realizes that he is more compatible with her. Their romance turns into a passionate and stormy romance. This breaks Saumya’s heart. After one episode, Saumya returns to the gharel, because who would want a drunk, scantily clad and swearing girl as a wife!

However, their marriage is not what it seems. Varun is a version of Kabir Singh who suffers from temperamental problems and becomes extremely aggressive from time to time. Inspector Vidya Jyoti senses skeletons in the closet of their residence and starts investigating the case. But how do you bring a case if there is no evidence or statements, or worse yet, how do you solve a case where truth and lies combine and become one? Did Saumya ever speak out against the ordeal she went through? Where does Shailee fit into all this? Is it possible to forget childhood trauma? Can mental illness be a façade? Is sisterhood a myth?

Do Patti opens with a scene set on a bridge atop a mountain river, with Saumya and Varun holding on to a bar, afraid of falling into the water. This will immediately remind you of the much talked about crocodile scene in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba. These two scenes from two different films share fear, tension and intrigue. Both films also have Kanika’s sharp tone, giving the impression that each was in some way inspired and influenced by the other.

Do Patti touches on and delves into some important issues that need more discussion. It’s a haunting portrayal of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), childhood trauma, assault, self-harm and the combined effects of depression and anxiety. Kanika explores how these things can not only cause serious identity disruption, but also change the behavior of those around you, including your trusted circle. Worse still, perpetrators can use the victim’s vulnerability and mental health as a shield against consequences and guilt.

In a pivotal scene that changes the course of events (or so you think), there is a disturbing and depressing argument between Saumya and Varun. It’s hard to watch. It’s heartbreaking, angry and terrifying. We ask survivors of any assault, violence or harassment to exercise caution. And it is in scenes like these that Kriti shines and soars. Do Patti is a shining testament to her talent as an actress, and with this labor of love, she delivers the best performance of her career.

Clocking in at 2 hours and 7 minutes, Do Patti is an absorbing watch. It keeps you in suspense almost all the time. However, if you are expecting a suspenseful thriller, you may be disappointed, as this makes it more of a drama, and this type of drama is becoming increasingly rare these days. Don’t wait for it to surprise or shock you (as Shailee says), because unpredictability is not a statement Do Patti swears by. The creators adopt a slow storytelling technique that absorbs you gradually.

However, the weak link of the film is the anti-climax. It’s a bit of a disappointing experience and could have been worked into the narrative more fluidly. By the end you will realize that it was just a tool for the creators to send a social message. While this is important, the authors reiterate that “show more, tell less” is still the most effective way to communicate. And while Kanika put her whole heart into writing Saumya’s character, Kajol’s Vidya Jyoti suffers a bit.

To prove her unyielding strength, authority and decisiveness, she was given the Haryanvi touch. And its changes come and go conveniently depending on the situation. Saumya and Shailee take up so much screen time that Vidya comes across as a simpleton. An actor of Kajol’s caliber and stature truly deserves a better written and more nuanced character. In fact, Vidya lacks a certain amount of novelty and seems ripped from one of the many cop thrillers in the OTT world.

Kajol’s hangover is palpable in her character and it’s impossible to completely see through the star image she carries as she plays a righteous middle-class cop from a small town in Haryana. Basically, she’s just too polished for the role. The problem in the treatment of her character may also result from an inaccurate explanation of her origins. However, credit must be given where it is due, and Kanika cleverly creates Vidya as a whole, a combination of her policeman father who lived by the mantra of “the word of the law” and her lawyer mother who believed in the “spirit of the law”. law’.

Shaheer Sheikh deserves a loud round of applause for taking a risk and playing an unlikeable character with a lot of seriousness. She throws her chocolate boy avatar out the window and confidently slips under the skin of her dangerous, touchy and unpredictable husband. And he shares hot chemistry with Kriti’s Shailee. As for Kriti, she is doing very well as twins. But Saumya takes the trophy home simply because it was lifted thanks to Kanika’s amazing writing. She will tear your heart out, she will arouse your sympathy, she will make you root for her, and her silence will worry you.

Tanvi Azmi as Maaji ably supports the cast and is impressive as always. Do Patti reiterates why the female perspective is important and why telling uncomfortable stories through a non-judgmental lens is crucial. It may not be a perfect film, but it is important, important, wise and thought-provoking. And with Do Patti, Kanika proves why she is one of the best writers we have around, and why she is one of the leaders in driving a paradigm shift in film grammar and the intersection of cinema and gender. Kudos also to director Shashanka Chaturvedi for treating these otherwise quiet topics like a true feminist!