Kajol and Kriti Sanon in Netflix Indian drama

Do Patti (Two cards) is a film in an identity crisis, as neither director Shashanka Chaturvedi nor writer/co-producer Kanika Dhillon seems entirely sure of its primal instincts.

Is it a twisted story of identical twins, one good and one bad? Or is it another hill station mystery? (For some reason, streaming platforms seem in love with these: think Netflix Aranyak OR The serial killer ladyVoot Candy or ZEE5 Rautu Ka Raaz. Perhaps the hope is that the beautiful mountain views will distract from the turbulent narrative.)

Is this a passionate plea against domestic violence or a courtroom drama where it's hard to decide who played who? This is an exploration of the nature of justice and the question of whether the letter of the law or the spirit of the law is more important?

Do Patti tries to be all of these, but ends up being mostly a disaster.

When Dhillon, who is also the architect of Netflix Haseen Dillruba franchise, was asked in an interview what a woman Kanika Dhillon is, she responded that her characters embody strength, vulnerability and complexity, that they are real and nuanced characters. While this was true for Rumi in Manmarziyaan and Bobby enters I judge everything Hai Kya and also to some extent for Rani in Haseen Dillrubathese traits elude both Saumya and Shailee, the twins played by Kriti Sanon in Do Patti.

It's easy to see why Sanon, also a co-producer, made the choice Do Patti as his debut film for his production company, Blue Butterfly Films. The dual role gives her the opportunity to show her range – from the shy and tremulous Saumya, who suffers from anxiety and depression, to the defiant and vengeful Shailee, who will seemingly do whatever it takes to defeat her sister – and Sanon goes. on both sides with ingenuity and sincerity.

But this movie isn't as clever as it thinks it is. The cliché of twins who physically look the same but have distinctly different personalities has been a staple of Hindi cinema for decades. With Dilip Kumar he set the gold standard Ram Aur Shyam almost 60 years ago; Hema Malini consolidated her star status with a superb double turn in Seeta Aur Geeta (Which Do Patti references in the dialogue); and then the fabulous Sridevi played both Anju and Manju ChaalBaaz.

With Do Pattihowever, Dhillon seems to draw inspiration from the 1971s Sharmeeleein which Rakhee played Kanchan and Kamini: one lively, outgoing and more westernized, and the other docile, shy and dressed in Indian clothes. No prizes for guessing which of the two will turn out to be evil and which will eventually catch him.

Fifty-three years later, the signifiers of good and evil are the same. Shailee loves to drink, smoke and bare clothes; she can't resist the temptation to bare her belly even while testifying in court. Saumya, of course, refrains from all this. Both sisters are in love with Dhruv (Shaheer Sheikh), the scion of a wealthy politician, although it is impossible to understand why: he does terrible things, especially to Saumya. While Sheik shows some spark, he, like the rest of the cast, is disappointed by the script.

To spice up this clichéd plot, Dhillon adds an unreliable narrator in Maaji, the sisters' childhood nanny. Actress Tanvi Azmi is so solid in the role that she manages to save even the silliest scenes. In one, she offers Dhruv two glasses of sherbet, and when he takes one, she looks at him significantly and suggests that he might be making a mistake in his choice.

But the person worst served by the script is Kajol, in her first role as a cop. Named Vidya Jyothi (meaning “a beacon of knowledge and light”), the character is a single woman determined to bring order and justice to the sleepy fictional village of Devipur. While the character has a story arc, as he investigates a murder accusation against Dhruv, it only plays out on a surface level. Apart from one scene where Vidya is attacked, giving us a glimpse of her vulnerability, she is mostly a one-note character.

Conveniently, Vidya has a law degree and continues to fight the case as a lawyer in court. A quick Google search reveals that an Indian Police Service officer cannot actually be a lawyer, as lawyers are not allowed to be full-time salaried employees of the government.

But Do Patti has little regard for facts or even superficial logic. Vidya's Haryanvi accent ebbs and flows. The paraglider plays a huge role in the plot, but the CGI is so clunky that it's impossible to believe that any of these characters are actually in the air. Perhaps the rudest cut, however, is the predictable climatic twist. This confusing film stays confusing until the end.