Do Patti review: Kriti Sanon is mindblowing in dual role in film on domestic abuse

Do Patti is a classic example of filmmakers forgetting how to wrap a film. Starring Kriti Sanon and Kajol in lead roles, Do Patti directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi starts off on a great note, keeps you hooked with its twists and turns, and makes you want to cheer for a character and scorn at another but alas it all fizzles towards the end.

First of all, Kriti Sanon deserves a special mention. She has matured as an actor and how! Playing a double role for the first time in her career, Kriti deserves an applause for bringing drama, grit, and naivety to both her roles at ease. Kriti plays herself as twin sisters who start off on the wrong foot as kids and end up hating each other as adults, so much so they are willing to sabotage it all and put everything in line for their sibling to fail.

Kajol is marvellous as a cop in the film. Kajol looks super cute as a Singham cop who comes with her own baggage of choosing between parents who believe in the word of law and the spirit of law. Yes, these are two separate things if you think about it. Kajol plays a cop for the first time in her career and aces it. She looks convincing in a role that she doesn’t stretch at all and makes it ultra believable.

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While the two women are brilliant in their parts, we can’t stop swooning over Shaheer Sheikh who plays Kriti’s boyfriend-turned-husband in Do Patti. He looks like a chocolate boy but acts like a brat whose father is a hotshot politician with links to the government.

The Plot

Do Patti is a mystery thriller which starts off with the story of Kriti’s characters, Shailee and Saumya. The two girls would first fight over who gets their hair braided first to who wins the boy (Shaheer aka Dhruv). The film first establishes their sibling rivalry and how it deepens as they lose their mother and then their father. When Shailee gets sent to a hostel for misbehaving with Saumya who is the more reserved and easily affected one, Shailee develops resentment for her twin. When Shailee comes back, she has promised herself to never lose to Saumya. Everything changes after one paragliding episode.

Kriti’s Saumya gets married to Dhruv who is sweet yet short-tempered. With this starts domestic violence. Shailee meanwhile, tries to woo Dhruv as she wants Saumya to not have a happy life. When the violence leads to Saumya being thrown from the top of the staircase as she insists on getting pregnant and starting a family, the “private matter” takes the shape of a criminal one.

Here’s when the cop enters – Kajol as Vidya Joshi who is enigmatic and bold when needed. She plays a small-town cop with ease. Kajol tries to get Saumya to come on record against the abuse but Saumya hesitates. But all changes after one paragliding episode. I say anything more and you will have spoilers!

Do Patti trailer:

What Works and What Doesn’t

Do Patti is near-perfect in the first half. The pace is great and the film is written well to keep you hooked. I can safely say that the film is not easy to second-guess in the first half. The film starts slugging towards the end though. The makers botch up the film with its climax.

The chemistry between Kriti and Shaheer works, Kajol as a cop works and so does Kriti in dual roles. The film’s heart is in the right place and while it doesn’t go all bookish in teaching us against domestic violence, it does lose the zing it had when the film began. As the film starts fighting for justice along with the characters, it becomes a bit slow. I wouldn’t mind if the makers had chopped at least 20 minutes of the ending.