Do Patti review: Kajol-Kriti Sanon overdo it in a relevant but predictable story

Do Patti, starring Kajol, Kriti Sanon and Shaheer Sheikh in the lead, was released on Netflix on October 25. The film deals with an important subject and maintains its sensitivity, but falls victim to its exaggerated performances.

In Short

• Do Patti is a Netflix film starring Kriti Sanon, Kajol, and Shaheer Sheikh
• The film addresses domestic violence but lacks an organic narrative
• Shaheer Sheikh's performance stands out

There are many ways to tell the story of two sisters, especially if they are twins, and are fighting with each other to be with the same man, who might or might not deserve their affection in the first place. The makers of Do Patti decided to tell this story with a pinch of mystery, thrill and a lot of melodrama. The Netflix film, starring Kriti Sanon as twins - Saumya and Shailee, Kajol as Vidya Jyoti, a cop-lawyer, and Shaheer Sheikh as Dhruv Sood, the rich businessman, looks like a story worth-telling, but not without its predictability and exaggerations.

The film begins with a shocking incident that sets the stage for the rest of the story. It keeps travelling back and forth with many references to the girls' troubled past, how they lost their mother and became indifferent to each other while growing up. We are introduced to a handsome and charming Dhruv who has just launched his paragliding business in the hills. Vidya is the no-nonsense cop who believes in doing everything by the book. Their stories get entangled when Saumya becomes the victim of domestic abuse and refuses to do anything about it for a long time, until the big incident.

For Vidya, only justice matters, and she becomes heavily invested in the case even when there's no complaint from Saumya, and no proof of her being a victim. Saumya's bruised face, broken leg and twisted hand speak volumes of what she is going through in her marriage, but she doesn't speak. Her twin sister, Shailee, acts as the third wheel, constantly challenging her about saving her marriage, and flirting with Dhruv. Will Saumya ever speak out? Why do victims of domestic abuse feel trapped and yet choose to do nothing about it? What should those witnessing the abuse do about it?

Do Patti asks the right questions and gives straight answers. It never lets you get confused about what it really wants to show. Domestic violence is the theme of the film, and you are shown all about it - what goes into the mind of an abuser, the psyche of the victim and how those who witness the abuse feel about it. It treats the subject sensitively and lays down the solutions for you. But, it fails to combine it all into an organic narrative.

In this Shashanka Chaturvedi-directorial, everyone, except Shaheer, seems to be overdoing their performances. Kriti as Saumya looks too demure and as Shailee, she almost emulates Deepika Padukone's Veronica from Cocktail, while Kajol reminds you of her local accent as Anjali from Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham.

Do Patti is a performance-oriented story, and it's disappointing to see two otherwise good actors feeling the need to overplay their roles. There's nothing effortless about the way they wear their characters, and you can make out a definitive attempt to act. This is not the same with Shaheer, though, who fully immerses himself into becoming Dhruv, a spoilt brat with the backing of a politician father, and no respect for women whatsoever.

He is the perfect gentleman while wooing a girl, and the exact opposite with raging eyes, while beating her. For those who have known Shaheer as this sweet, lover-boy on the small screen, Dhruv is a complete revelation and a testimony of his prowess as a versatile actor. It's like watching a 'good boy' Vikrant Massey suddenly playing a serial killer in Sector 36, and acing every bit of it. Shaheer adds value to the narrative and engages you in the story, something that the rest of the seasoned actors fail to do.

The biggest turn-off about Do Patti is its highly predictable climax, which also exposes the loopholes in the way writer Kanika Dhillon and the director have treated the legal aspects of their story. The film becomes a courtroom drama towards the end, which could have strengthened the narrative to folds. Instead, the whole courtroom sequence makes the story look lazier than before.

There are no strong speeches to command your attention, or mystery to ensure you are left on the edge of your seat. The arguments seem pale, and the judgements are passed on half-baked assumptions. At its best, it appears like a hush-hush attempt to drive viewers to the end, thinking they would be left scratching their heads.

Do Patti, which could have been a conversational film like Thappad and Pink, tries to become more than that and turns out to be a victim of its own pretentiousness. The story doesn't trivialise its subject but falls short of strong performances capable of staying with you for a long time. In many ways, it becomes a lost opportunity.