# Do Patti

Do Patti (transl. Two Cards) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language drama thriller film directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi and written by Kanika Dhillon. It stars Kajol, Kriti Sanon and Shaheer Sheikh. The film marks Dhillon's first production venture under her banner Kathha Pictures, alongside Sanon's first time as a producer, with Blue Butterfly Films. It was released on Netflix on 25 October 2024 to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. The film went on to become the most watched Netflix India Original of the year, and made it to Variety's Top Ten list of Most Watched Streaming Originals.

## 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 and bold behaviour, Dhruv starts having second thoughts, and a business deal gone wrong causes his father pressurise him, get a hold of himself and 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 half-dead. 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 and not wanting to lose to Shailee.
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. 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
* Kajol as Inspector Vidya Jyothi "VJ" Kanwar
* Shaheer Sheikh as Dhruv Sood: Saumya's husband; Shailee's ex-boyfriend
* 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
* Prachi Desai as Suzzy Simp
* Sohaila Kapur as Justice Aruna Goel
* Eisha Singh as Aditi Apte
* 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 after Dilwale (2015). It also marks Kanika Dhillon's production debut under Kathha Pictures, with Kriti Sanon turning producer as well, 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 mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10. It received mixed reviews from audiences.
It trended on the Netflix Global Top Ten Charts (Non-English) Film in over 30 countries, and stayed on the trending charts for over 50 days. It also broke records by being the only Indian film across all platforms to be on the prestigious Variety's Top Ten list of Most Watched Streaming Originals, on position 9, garnering a whopping 92.4 Million views. It is considered to be one of the most successful films of the year on Netflix. As per Ormax reports, Do Patti was the Number 1 - Most Watched Film and Most Buzzed Film in 2024, across all streaming platforms in India. It also features in the top 10 list of the Most Liked Films of 2024, as per the statistics.