
Do Patti movie banner
A common factor binding Do Patti and Alia Bhatt’s debut production Darlings is women taking control of their lives when everything seems to have hit a dead end. Kudos to Kriti Sanon for choosing a sensitive subject like domestic abuse for her maiden production venture.
Starcast: Kriti Sanon, Shaheer Sheik, Kajol, Tanvi Azmi, Brijendra Kala and others
Director: Shashanka Chaturvedi
Writer: Kanika Dhillon
Producers: Kanika Dhillon and Kriti Sanon
Production Companies: Kathha Pictures, Blue Butterfly Films and Vipin Agnihotri Films
Songs: Sachet- Parampara and Taniskh Bagchi
Streaming site: Netflix
Running time: 2 hours and 7 minutes
In the last few years numerous Bollywood actresses have turned producers pushing the envelope with interesting stories and strong female characters. Irrespective of the box office numbers these characters have created a solid impact. Case in point being the films produced under Anuskha Sharma’s Clean Slate Filmz. A particular mention must be made of her turn in the horror movie Pari. She played a battered young woman with a haunting past. Priyanka Chopra is another actress who has produced good movies like Sky Is Pink and The White Tiger. Her heart wrenching portrayal of a determined mother in the former was nothing less than extraordinary. One of our major commercial stars Deepika Padukone also entered into production with the flawed yet gusty Chhapaak. The biggest star of this generation Alia has produced two movies and presented one Malayalam web series Poacher under Eternal Sunshine Productions. Both Darlings and Jigra dealt with contrastingly different subjects. Darlings focused on a domestic abuse survivor, Jigra on the other hand dealt with the delayed justice system through a morally complex elder sister. Kriti Sanon’s Do Patti is a good addition to the above-mentioned films.

Do Patti is a good addition to the above-mentioned films
The story of Do Patti is set in the fictional hill station of Devaipur. It focuses on a pair of identical twins Saumya and Shelle, they are as different as chalk and cheese. Their relationship has always been strained. Out of the two Saumya needs more care given her constant paranoia. Shelle on the other is the wilder one. From an early age itself Shelle has harbored jealousy towards Saumya. Her feeling is that Saumya gets way more love from the family, according to her Saumya puts up the act of being paranoid to get more love. A good example of Shelle’s animosity is the scene where she cuts a small portion of her sister’s hair as a child. Years later this animosity takes a hugely dangerous turn with the arrival of Dhruv (fantastic Shaheer Sheikh). Dhruv gets quickly attracted to Shelle as her wild nature is more appealing to him over Saumya’s demureness. But in a major turn of events, his marriage takes place with Saumya leading to further friction among the siblings. Initially Dhruv appears to be a good husband but soon his short temperedness comes to the fore. Kajol plays police inspector Vidya Jyothi. This is the story in brief.

Kriti Sanon in a double role
A strong aspect of Do Patti is the depiction of sibling rivalry particularly the characterization of Shelle. Writer Kanika Dhillon is known for writing unorthodox women. The best example being Taapsee Pannu in the Haseen Dil Ruba movies and Manmarziyaan. Here too the writer has given interesting character traits adding to the thrill quotient of the movie. Both Saumya and Shelle carry a deep emotional baggage of their own, it is just that they have chosen different methods. In case of Saumya it is about internalizing, for Shelle escapism is the defense. This has come out well both in terms of writing and the stellar acting performance of Kriti.
The unraveling of Shaheer Sheikh’s Dhruv, how the role starts off and the eventual revelation of his true colors is also a delight to watch. Shaheer Sheikh plays the unpredictable husband with aplomb making a striking impact.

Shaheer Sheikh plays the unpredictable husband with aplomb
Through Do Patti director Shashanka Chaturvedi and Kanika Dhillon have focused on pertinent topics. The portrayal of post-traumatic stress and childhood trauma have been dealt in a poignant manner.
The depiction of domestic abuse is raw in nature, a scene which needs to be mentioned here is a disturbing altercation between Dhruv and Saumya. It is a very upsetting moment which many domestic abuse survivors will relate with.
Do Patti also plays out like an Agatha Christie Thriller. The twists and turns are fairly engrossing. A big twist leading to a poignant flashback deserves a special mention. Through the flashback there is an important message on reporting domestic violence.
Performances wise Do Patti is very much a Kriti Sanon showreel. She aces both the parts with equal ease whether it is grey shades and the eventual remorse of Shelle or the demure Saumya who will tug at your heartstrings. Kajol as police inspector Vidya Jyothi fits the part of a no- nonsense police officer, she does a fine job in portraying the tough attitude, but the Haryanvi accent feels jarring. The moral dilemmas of Vidya Jyothi at one point also needed better etching. Tanvi Azmi as the supportive caretaker brings in a lot of warmth in her small yet significant part.
Sachet Parampara and Tanishk Bagchi’s songs are just above average. The CGI and the camerawork though are of a high order more so in the portions which have two Kriti’s.