Do Patti (transl. Two Cards) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language mystery thriller film directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi and written by Kanika Dhillon. It stars Kajol, Kriti Sanon and Shaheer Sheikh. The film marks Sanon's first production venture. It was released on Netflix on 25 October 2024 to mostly negative reviews with praise for Sanon’s dual shaded performance.

Plot

The film opens with Saumya and Dhruv at Devipur village police station in Uttarakhand, where Saumya accuses Dhruv of attempting to kill her. The story flashes back to an earlier incident when police officer Vidya Jyothi (VJ) receives a call regarding domestic abuse but finds it dismissed as a false alarm. However, Maaji, a maternal figure to Saumya, privately reveals that she had placed the call out of concern, explaining that Saumya gets brutally abused by her husband, Dhruv. Though Saumya decides to remain silent about it. Through Maaji's account, we learn that Dhruv, the son of a minister and owner of a paragliding company in Devipur, met Saumya, who developed feelings for him. When Saumya introduces him to her family, her identical twin sister, Shailee, becomes infatuated with Dhruv. Having been the focus of care due to numerous phobias and mental health issues since their mother's death, Saumya has always been prioritised, which now fuels Shailee's resentment. Dhruv and Shailee start dating, but due to Shailee's unpredictable behaviour, Dhruv's father pressures him to find a homely spouse. Consequently, Dhruv marries Saumya, though Shailee continues to pursue him, causing conflict. VJ learns of the sisters' rivalry and Dhruv's violent behaviour. Maaji recounts that whenever Saumya suggests having a child, Dhruv's temper flares, often leading to physical abuse. In one incident, he pushes her down the stairs, leaving her unconscious. Determined to bring Dhruv to justice, VJ confronts him, but Dhruv insists her fall was accidental, a claim Saumya initially supports, stating her intent to start afresh with him. At home, Saumya proposes a paragliding trip, hoping Dhruv will recreate his initial proposal. Maaji, meanwhile, works to gather evidence against Dhruv, who dismisses her warnings to mend his ways. During a Holi celebration, Shailee and Dhruv share a moment, prompting Saumya to lead Dhruv on a paragliding outing. Mid-flight, Dhruv's harness fails, but both narrowly escape. Dhruv is arrested on the basis of Saumya's accusation of attempted murder: she claims that Dhruv loosened her harness to push her out. With compelling evidence, he is convicted of attempted murder and domestic violence and sentenced to prison. VJ senses inconsistencies in the case's details. She realises that Saumya and Shailee orchestrated a deception: they had swapped roles before the paragliding, with Shailee sabotaging the harness mid-flight and then joining Saumya to accuse Dhruv. When VJ confronts them, Shailee argues that their actions were justified, revealing the family's history of concealed domestic abuse. Saumya didn't even try to leave marriage because that will make her lose to Shailee. She admits that remaining silent about their mother's suffering was wrong, while VJ reflects on domestic violence as a social, not merely private, issue. Convinced of Dhruv's culpability, VJ withdraws her appeal, convinced not always going by books is right, and the film concludes as Saumya finds closure.

Cast

Kriti Sanon in dual roles as twins Saumya Pundir Sood and Shailee Pundir Shaheer Sheikh as Dhruv Sood: Saumya's husband; Shailee's ex-boyfriend Kajol as Inspector Vidya "VJ" Jyothi Kanwar Tanvi Azmi as Maaji: Saumya and Shailee's caretaker Brijendra Kala as Katoch: Vidya's assistant Vivek Mushran as Deepak Pundir: Saumya and Shailee's uncle Prachee Shah Paandya as Shobhana Pundir: Saumya and Shailee's mother Rohit Tiwari as Niren Pundir: Saumya and Shailee's father Chittaranjan Tripathy as Kumar: Defence lawyer Manoj Bakshi as Tyagi: A politician Mohit Chauhan as Prithvi Singh Sood: Dhruv's father Sohaila Kapur as Justice Aruna Goel Vridhi and Vristhi as young Saumya and Shailee

Production

= Development

= The film was officially announced on 5 July 2023 as a Netflix thriller, titled Do Patti and led by Kajol and Kriti Sanon, in their second film post Dilwale (2015). It also marks Kriti Sanon's production debut, under her banner Blue Butterfly Films. In October 2023, television actor Shaheer Sheikh joined the cast.

= Filming

= Principal photography commenced in August 2023. Filming took place in Mumbai, Nainital, and Dehradun. The filming wrapped up in December 2023.

Music

The first single titled "Raanjhan" was released on 4 October 2024. The second single titled "Akhiyaan De Kol" was released on 18 October 2024. The song "Akhiyaan De Kol" was a remake of the song "Ankhiyan Nu Rehan De" by the Pakistani singer Reshma.

Reception

Do Patti received generally negative reviews from critics. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated the film 2 out of 5, writing, "Dysfunctionality triggered by scarred childhood is a valid point but doesn't find an active voice in Do Patti's half-baked diabolism, which needed to be more Dead Ringers than The Parent Trap. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 1.5 out of 5, writing, "There’s enough in Kriti Sanon-Kajol film for a juicy, substantive drama. But the unpacking turns more into an unravelling, mainly because the writing is shallow, and the characters lack depth." Aakriti Agarwala of The Statesman writes, "‘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."

References

External links

Do Patti at Bollywood Hungama Do Patti at IMDb Do Patti on Netflix