There are many ways to tell the story of two sisters, especially if they are twins, and are fighting each other to be with the same man, who may or may not be worthy of their affection in the first place. The makers of Do Patti decided to tell this story with mystery, thrill and a lot of melodrama. The Netflix film, which stars Kriti Sanon as twins – Saumya and Shaili, Kajol as Vidya Jyoti, a policeman-lawyer, and Shaheer Sheikh as Dhruv Sood, a wealthy businessman, seems to be a story worth telling, but without its predictability and exaggeration. No. ,

The film begins with a shocking incident that sets the stage for the rest of the story. It continues to travel back and forth with several references to the girls’ troubled past, how they lost their mother while growing up and became indifferent to each other. We are introduced to a handsome and charming Dhruv who has recently started his own paragliding business in the hills. Vidya is a police officer who believes in doing everything as per the rules. Their stories become entangled when Soumya becomes a victim of domestic abuse and refuses to do anything about it for a long time, until something major happens.

For Vidya, only justice matters, and she invests heavily in the case even though there is no complaint from Soumya and no evidence of her victimization. Soumya’s bruised face, broken leg and twisted hand reveal much about what she is going through in her marriage, but she does not speak. Her twin sister, Shaili, acts as the third wheel, constantly challenging her about saving her marriage and flirting with Dhruv. Will Soumya ever speak? Why do victims of domestic abuse feel trapped and yet choose to do nothing about it? What should those who witness abuse do about it?

Du Paty asks the right questions and gives straight answers. It never lets you get confused about what it actually wants to show. Domestic violence is the subject of the film, and you are shown everything about it – what goes on in the mind of an abuser, the mentality of the victim and how those who witness the abuse feel about it. It treats the topic sensitively and presents solutions for you. But, it fails to combine all this into an organic narrative.

In this film directed by Shashank Chaturvedi, everyone except Shaheer is seen overdoing their acting. Kriti as Saumya looks very graceful and as for style, she almost mimics Deepika Padukone’s Veronica in Cocktail, while Kajol reminds you of her local accent as Anjali in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

Do Patti is a performance-oriented story, and it’s disappointing to see two good actors feeling the need to overplay their roles. There’s nothing spontaneous about the way they dress their characters, and you can see a certain effort being put into acting. However, this is not the case with Shaheer, who throws himself completely into becoming Dhruv, a spoiled child with the support of a politician father, and no respect for women whatsoever.

He is a perfect gentleman when wooing a girl, and the exact opposite with angry eyes when banging her. For those who know Shaheer as the lovable, lover-boy of the small screen, Dhruv is a complete revelation and a testament to his ability as a versatile actor. It’s like seeing a ‘good boy’ Vikrant Massey suddenly playing the role of a serial killer in Sector 36 and mastering every aspect of it. Shaheer adds value to the story and keeps you engaged in the story, something which other seasoned actors fail to do.

The biggest turning point about Do Patti is its overly predictable climax, which also exposes the flaws in the way writer Kanika Dhillon and the director have treated the legal aspects of their story. By the time the film reaches the end, it becomes a courtroom drama, which could have strengthened the story many times over. Instead, the entire courtroom sequence makes the story duller than it already is.

There are no powerhouse speeches to grab your attention, or secrets to ensure you stay in your seat. Arguments seem weak and decisions are made based on half-baked assumptions. At its best, it appears to be a quiet attempt to carry the audience through to the end leaving them scratching their heads.

Do Patti, which could have been a conversational film like Thappad and Pink, tries to be something more than that and becomes a victim of its own pretensions. The story doesn’t trivialize its subject matter but rather lacks strong acting capable of staying with you for a long time. In many ways, this becomes a lost opportunity.