Starring Kriti Sanon in a double role and Kajol as a dedicated cop, Do Patti is a mystery drama that addresses domestic violence. While we do need to talk more about domestic violence and raise awareness about the legal framework around it, the film Do Patti fails to leave a mark. The double-role demarcations are as obvious as they can get, but thankfully there is a redemption arc for the modern independent woman. Kajol is both the cop and the prosecutor, but her character lacks gravitas. To make matters worse, the courtroom scenes were terribly executed and were far from believable. Vidya “VJ” Jyoti was a cop who lived by the rulebook. She had inherited the quality from her father, a judge who upheld the law over personal biases, unlike her mother, a lawyer, who believed the law was useless unless effectively implemented to bring justice to the innocent. VJ’s love for the law and rules did not help her boost her career; instead, she found herself stuck in stagnancy. But VJ never gave up hope. She continued to carry out her duty with complete dedication, and when she came across a domestic violence case, she was determined to get to the bottom of the truth.
Spoiler Alert
What led Saumya to take a stand against her husband?
Saumya was a docile, fearful young woman who could never get over the death of her mother. The loss deeply affected Soumya as a little girl, leading to the development of mental health issues. She depended on pills and struggled to confront challenging situations. Her sister, Shailee, failed to understand Saumya’s inner turmoil, and she assumed that Saumya was pretending to be sick to get attention. Shailee was tired of everyone looking after her sister while she was neglected. She got extremely bitter and did things to hurt Soumya. Their father was left with no other choice but to admit Shailee to a boarding school. Soon their father passed away as well, and Saumya lived with her nanny, whom she affectionately called Maaji. Years passed, but Shailee never returned home, and when she did, she ended up bringing more complications into Saumya’s life. Saumya had recently met Dhruv, who’d started a paragliding business in the hills. Unlike Saumya, Dhruv was an adventure freak with a thriving social life. Even though they were poles apart, Saumya found herself falling in love with him. Dhruv too showed interest in her, but everything changed after Shailee returned home.
Dhruv was immediately attracted to Shailee. They were quite similar—she was an adventurous woman, modern, straightforward, and the life of any party. She did not shy away from expressing her affection for Dhruv, and soon they got into a relationship. Saumya was heartbroken, and she knew that Shailee was doing everything possible to hurt her. But Saumya did not protest, and she continued to treat Dhruv with respect. Things took a turn when Dhruv’s father insulted him after his meeting with a minister was disrupted because of Shailee. She was drunk, and she created a ruckus while Dhruv was discussing a five hundred crore investment deal. Dhruv’s father advised him to find a homely girl and settle down, and that was exactly what Dhruv did the very next day. He proposed to Saumya, and they got married. But as expected, their marriage was far from perfect.
Saumya was repeatedly physically abused and tortured by Dhruv. He often lost control of his temper, and he took a sadistic pleasure in hurting Saumya. While Maaji begged her to file a domestic violence complaint, Saumya chose to remain silent. She was afraid that Shailee would interpret her failed marriage as her own victory. It was only after Dhruv attempted to murder her while they were paragliding that Saumya decided to file a case against him. This time the entire town had witnessed the act, and many had recorded videos where Saumya was seen screaming for help while she and Dhruv were paragliding. Vidya Jyoti knew that they had a strong case and there was no way Dhruv was getting away. Dhruv’s father, a successful businessman, had influential connections, but due to public outrage, he could not bail out his son.
Was Dhruv punished?
VJ produced all the evidence she had against Dhruv to the judge. Saumya had taken photographs of her wounds, and her medical reports proved how on several occasions she was left bruised, severely injured, burned, and with her bones fractured. Dhruv had pushed her down the stairs once simply because she dared to point out his inability to run a business that his father had already built. He expected Saumya to be obedient, and whenever she expressed her opinion, she was silenced.
In court, Dhruv blamed his wife for being clumsy, and he also added that two people in love could get into fights, and there was nothing wrong with it (was reminded of a certain Mr. Vanga). Saumya’s family members testified against Dhruv, and even random strangers who had witnessed the paragliding incident accused Dhruv of attempting to murder his wife. According to Dhruv, Saumya had untied her harness and screamed for help to build a false case against him. The defense lawyer stated that Saumya was mentally ill, and she relied on medication to perform daily activities. To establish that he was the victim of their marriage, Dhruv added that he was ignorant about Saumya’s condition when they married. He tried to put up with her, but he struggled. Apparently, she used to physically harm herself. While stating her mental condition, Dhruv mentioned that she was afraid of heights. VJ pointed out that if Saumya was afraid of heights, it was impossible to believe that she unfastened the harness simply to frame Dhruv.
VJ told the court that Dhruv and Shailee planned on getting back together, and that was why Dhruv attempted to murder his wife. He had the motive; he was also accused of an attempted murder case in Haryana, and all the evidence suggested that he was capable of committing such a heinous crime. The judge finally declared Dhruv Sood guilty, and he was sentenced to thirteen years in prison.
Why did the sisters conspire against Dhruv?
VJ noticed Saumya and Shailee exchange glances after the judgment was declared. VJ realized that she did not know the entire truth, and she assumed that she had been used by them to achieve the outcome that they desired. As someone who always went by the rulebook, VJ decided to get to the bottom of the truth. Even though she knew Dhruv was a terrible man, she did not think that was reason enough for him to remain behind bars for thirteen years. To confirm her doubt, VJ confronted Shailee and asked if Dhruv was right and if she thought her sister had conspired against him. Shailee defended Saumya and added that Saumya would rather hurt herself than inflict pain on anyone else. The response confirmed that even though Shailee pretended to hate Saumya, she actually loved her.
VJ’s guess was right; Shailee had recently realized that her sister was suffering. As a little girl, Shailee had failed to understand Saumya, but after seeing her suffer mentally and physically, she decided to intervene. Saumya and Shailee had watched their father abuse their mother regularly. But they were taught to remain silent. One night, after being brutally tortured by their father, their mother passed away. When the police asked Shailee if she had witnessed anything alarming, her relatives asked her not to utter a word. Saumya could never cope with the loss, and she blamed herself for her mother’s death. She was living through the same horror, but just like her mother, she too struggled to take a stance against her husband. Saumya was gradually losing her mind, and Shailee knew that she was the only person who could help her sister. She could not save her mother, but as an adult, she could now protect Saumya.
Shailee came up with a plan. After the Holi celebration, Saumya convinced Dhruv to take her out paragliding. Before they drove to the valley, Saumya stopped by her shop to grab her inhaler. It was then that Shailee took her place and accompanied Dhruv. Since Shailee and Saumya looked alike, Dhruv couldn’t figure out what was going on. Shailee untied the harness and screamed for help; she knew that the court would only believe Saumya if the entire town was convinced that Dhruv was a threat to her life. She knew that a domestic violence case would only put Dhruv behind bars for three years, and he could easily escape the punishment. Faking an attempted murder situation was the only option they had left. Vidya figured out the truth, and she decided to reopen the case. As someone who trusted the law over everything else, VJ refused to let the sisters getaway after making a fool of the judicial system.
Why did Vidya close the case?
VJ found herself at the crossroads—she wanted to follow the law, but at the same time she could not deny the fact that Dhruv was a threat to Saumya. He deserved to be put behind bars because he would have killed Saumya one day or another. She knew Shailee was right to get him arrested before it was too late, but VJ could not make peace with the fact that the sisters had lied. After VJ reopened the case, Shailee walked to the witness stand and disclosed that their mother had also been a victim of domestic violence. She believed she and the rest of her family were guilty because they were indirectly responsible for her death. She could have survived if someone dared to file a complaint or even raised concern. But instead, everyone stayed quiet, assuming it was not their place to say anything. Moreover, a husband torturing or abusing their wife is so commonplace that no one bats an eye. Some even believe that the husband is well within his rights to correct his wife. She appreciated Saumya for having the courage to fight for her survival, and she hoped that VJ would not take any step that would nullify her efforts.
In Do Patti’s ending, Vidya finally made a choice—she realized that the words of law mean very little without the spirit of law. In such a case where the line between right and wrong was blurry, Vidya figured she had to make an exception. Saumya and Shailee’s story was a clear indication of how domestic violence can affect one generation after another, and when someone dared to break the chain, society needed to support them. Vidya took back her request to open the case. Even though she never expected to follow her mother’s footsteps someday, she was content with the way she dealt with the case. Do Patti’s ending suggests that Vidya will do anything within her power to ensure women’s safety, and she will continue to fight against domestic violence.
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