Netflix’s anticipated thriller ‘Do Patti’ released on October 25 promised a high-stakes game that would force the viewers to put their brain cells to use. However, the film failed to deliver a gripping narrative and instead laid out a flat and sloppy story. Though the film creates a few parallel storylines, it fails to build a solid pyramid of cards.

‘Do Patti’ chronicles the story of two twin sisters (Kriti Sanon) who are pole opposites. While Saumya is docile and submissive, Shailee is rebellious and adventurous. The makers made sure that their personalities were also reflected through their appearance, just in case the viewers missed it. Saumya keeps it simple with a salwar kameez, and minimal makeup, and always appears on the verge of crying. On the flip side, Shailee rocks flashy fits, and smudged kohl and is always ready to get high. Both sisters are sworn enemies fuelled by unresolved conflicts and a traumatic past.

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Meanwhile, the proclaimed ‘ace of the club’ Dhruv Sood (Shaheer Sheikh) is a spoiled and entitled brat. He has anger issues and sports a James Dean look. Dhruv is the son of a powerful politician running an adventure sports company in Uttarakhand. With his flamboyant charm, he woos the two sisters and picks between ‘Sita and Geeta’ depending on the situation. Under his charming smile is a beast brimming with insecurity who is a product of patriarchy. Treating his wife Saumya as a punching bag he breaks a different bone of her body every day. The situation escalates to such an extent that Dhruv pushes her from the stairs and almost kills her.

The film starts with a paragliding session gone wrong and the incident causes Saumya to slap an ‘attempt to murder’ case on Dhruv Sood. Enter the cop with the Haryanvi accent- Vidya Jyoti aka VJ (Kajol). Going into flashback, Kajol receives an anonymous domestic violence complaint from the Sood House which turns out to be from Maaji, (Tanvi Azmi) Saumya’s caretaker. Subsequently, Maaji informs Kajol of Saumya’s predicament, urging for help and takes the viewers into another flashback episode. Documenting the feud between the twins, Maaji reveals that both sisters end up in a rift over Dhruv.

 

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As matters get worse, the sisterhood awakens and the twins lay a deception plot for VJ. It is revealed that the convenient task of putting Dhruv behind bars was an orchestrated plan. The film used the oldest trick in the twins’ book and the sisters swapped places to slyly create an attempt to murder case. Shailee goes in place of Saumya to paraglide with Dhruv and undoes her safety harness making it appear like an open attempted murder. However, the plot is full of inconsistencies and loopholes. While it shows that the sisters swapped places twice, it fails to capture the details of the deception. For example, when they swap back at the police station, how do they discard their wigs and change their makeup? Does a mere swapping of outfits change the person?

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Moreover, while the Kanika Dhillon and Shashanka Chaturvedi film tries to create an elaborate web of lies, betrayals, and deception, it does the opposite. The storyline is predictable, slow-paced, and full of inconsistencies. Despite the impressive acting by the cast members, ‘Do Patti’ fails to leverage the sinister possibilities of identity swap puppeteering that could leave the audiences at the edge of their seats.

‘Do Patti’ aimed to connect several social issues of generational trauma, domestic violence, and discourse around patriarchy and its inherent nature via a thriller. Additionally, the film hinged upon the dichotomy between the ‘word of law’ and the ‘spirit of law’ but it lacked the punch to do so. Despite harbouring good intentions, the unidimensional characterisations and a convenient storyline don’t leave much scope to weigh on the issues. All in all, the film is a fine watch. However, it should have shuffled the deck better to draw the right cards.