The film, written by Kanika Dhillion, who has also produced it along with Kriti Sanon, sends a message against domestic violence while masquerading as an Agatha Christie thriller. It’s a cautionary tale about falling for the wrong kind of love. Women have endured abusive relationships for aeons and the film’s message is that they should fight back with everything they have.
Casting Kajol as a non-nonsense female cop who is also a lawyer is just what the doctor ordered. Her character Vidya Jyothi is forever shown to be in turmoil about whether she should follow the law to the letter or the spirit of the law. She’s also a woman who has learnt to live alone, no mean achievement in itself, and one who doesn’t buckle under patriarchy and corruption around her. And Kajol has a fine comic sense. By subtle gestures and voice modulations, she can lighten a scene and bring a smile to your face. She’s in fine form here, bringing all her experience to fold. And since she’s Ajay Devgn’s wife in real life, in an action scene, we catch a refrain of the famous background tune which gets played whenever Bajirao Singham makes an entry. At one level, the film can be seen as the beginning of a franchise for her. The makers can continue with a series of films showcasing her adventures as a dedicated investigator.
Twenty years ago, even ten years ago, it would have been Kajol who would have been cast in the role of twin sisters. Being in the same film as Kajol is a calculated risk for other actors as they’ll always get compared to her. So it was brave of Kriti Sanon to start off her innings as a producer in such a vein. Writer Kanika Dhillon has worked real hard to bring out the differences between Saumya and Shailee. And Kriti Sanon has followed the script and debutant director Shashanka Chaturvedi’s direction to a T. The audience would be more drawn to the siren Shailee, who believes in living for the moment, than the docile Saumya, who suffers from emotional trauma. Everyone has their own triggers, their own responses to trauma. While some internalise and suppress the memories, some indulge in escapism as their defence. Saumya and Shailee are two sides of the same coin. They come across as real sisters fighting over petty things since childhood. Kriti is basically emoting against herself and has worked hard to make sure the different personalities come through. In her interviews, she has mentioned she wants to play more layered roles and her wish has been fulfilled.
Tanvi Azmi makes an impact in her role as the supportive caretaker of the sisters. And so does Brajendra Kala as the constable who has no qualms serving under a female boss. TV hottie Shaheer Sheikh gets to play the role of the duplicitous baddie. Though he has done what the role required, one wished there were more layers to his character.
CGI and clever camerawork has helped put both sisters in the same frame and adds to making it all seem plausible. The film does have plenty of twists, though one can sense the denouement a mile off. Watch it for the superb acting on display by both Kajol and Kriti Sanon. Do Patti is currently streaming on Netflix.
