 |
| A still from ‘Do Patti’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement |
Thriller "Do Patti,"had Kriti Sanon and Kajol involved in this ambitious piece directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi, who takes you through a morass of domestic abuse, trauma and justice that is so confusing you lose your line of thought. Weaving together melodrama and mystery, the movie takes viewers through beautiful but foggy visuals in the Uttarakhand hills as two sisters caught up in a mess of abuse within their family and an on-going police investigation unfold their stories. Unfortunately, though the film has great potential and strong lead performances, it struggles to create a unified experience. Instead, it meanders into a hodgepodge that ends up leaching the emotional impact from its message.
Plot Summary and Premise:
The narrative features a police procedural and family drama fused on two sisters Saumya and Shailee (both Kriti Sanon) who are tied by their chaotic past but have developed very differently. Saumya is mild-mannered and demure while Shailee has a more rebellious nature. Through their personalities, they chose the way to cope with their past which revolves around a man common in both their lives Dhruv Sood (Shaheer Sheikh).
Dhruv is the privileged son of an up-and-coming Haryana politician and his character constantly pulls at every raw nerve regarding this archetype, with anger issues so deeply rooted they seem unshakable. His personality is indicative of a toxic, male view of women as display objects rather than people. That character makes these struggles of the sisters personal and symbolic of all the forces which have abused them throughout their lives.
Cue Kajol as a no-nonsense cop – weighed down but unbreakable — who is hell-bent on solving a crime that connects to the sisters' troubled past. The fragility she conveys as a cop with strength but consumption is only hinted through the variable writing, sadly preventing her from stealing all of this movie's shine.
Genre Confusion and Narrative Inconsistencies:
 |
| A still from ‘Do Patti’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement |
"Do Patti" is clearly ambitious, wanting to present a layered film that mixes thriller with the social commentary of domestic violence. But this was more of a style muddle than a nuanced complexity. While reminiscent of all-time classics like "Seeta Aur Geeta" and the recent release "Darlings", the film is failing to achieve those storytelling levels. The plot, however, alternates jarringly between thriller-cum-family drama and chick-lit to form a blurry quilt that lacks the engagement of either genre.
Third, this film has issues with pacing and tone. The forced moments where a viewer is supposed to empathize with the characters falls flat, leaving viewers unable to suspend disbelief in the stakes of the story. The absence of tonal consistency dilutes the impact the film can have in addressing domestic violence and its psychological effects on victims.
Visuals and Cinematography:
Though the narrative is a bit all over the place, Mart Ratassepp’s lensman does well to highlight the picturesque mountainous beauty of Uttarakhand. The frames all have an eye for the natural beauty within the land, giving a beautiful context in which quiet drama unfolds. But I can't help thinking that while we do get both dry satire and some spooky psychological explorations, this focus on elegantly creepy settings draws attention from the darker elements: it steals our focus from psychologically-needy kids like Gary and Mikey.
Character Performances and Limitations:
Kriti Sanon juggles her double role as Saumya and Shailee with finesse, slipping into two radically different skins: one controlled, the other defiant. Nevertheless, the device of dual role image itself becomes an issue; it foreshadows plot twists a little too heavily. It seems more a demonstration of Kriti's dexterity than an attempt to build layers and takes away from the tension in the narrative.
Shaheer Sheikh, who has theMeaty role of Dhruv and his inner conflict as well as toxic masculinity to play, appears burdened by the responsibility at times. His character is not fleshed out sufficiently to believe fully in what he's doing, and neither is the broader screenplay, which too often skims above the surface of experience without genuinely investigating its effects.
Kajol appears to be an old hand at bringing out all the natural qualities and skin for her character as a police officer. Her character will remind you of similar portrayal of other female actors in current Indian cinema like Raveena Tandon’s role in Aranyak. But the script confines her, as when she's unexpectedly called on to yell out blunt cuss words in the vernacular. Kajol is excellent but her muted performance echoes the screenplay that hobbles her character development and dynamics.
A Missed Opportunity in Storytelling:
 |
| A still from ‘Do Patti’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement |
One of the biggest drawbacks of 'Do Patti' is that it doesn't give the story enough space to breathe. Instead, works off exposition heavy dialogues that explicitly reveal the themes the film is trying to tackle rather than allowing them to breathe in on their own. The screenplay, by Kanika Dhillon, has some sharp lines but the story does not move in a way that makes it feel real or transformative. In favour of message or the film's social relevance, a bait-and-switch which undercuts the emotional impact in exchange for wearing this particular set of sunglasses.
The message behind the film is loud and clear domestic abuse cannot be buried under the carpet; women can also rise like a phoenix from ashes. But in trying to become a work of "meaningful cinema", "Do Patti" ends up not even telling the story well, and feels more like an advertisement for voyeuristic and misogynist violence than a screenplay for a thriller.
Final Verdict:
Do Patti, despite its good intentions and relevance to several social issues, is an average film that has missed the mark. Kriti Sanon and Kajol put forth strong performances in what was more like a crime thriller, but the film fails to find its genre balance with uneven writing and heavy exposition. The film is also great in parts which should not be the case, its cinematography and chemistry between its leads shine but at the end of it all, What Should have been a festival of cinema instead becomes a festival wholly unsatisfying.
If you are looking for a smart thriller, then "Do Patti" may not impress. In concept, its blend of suspense, social commentary and family drama is admirable; in execution, not so much. The end product is a film that, though striking to look at and featuring strong performances, lacks the emotional vivacity and narrative cohesion to soar as high above its inspirations as it aspirationally aims to.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Speedculb.com is now available on whatsapp and telegram. Follow today and get important news
Follow Us 👉
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Please wait for 45 seconds...
Post a Comment