Do Patti is a 2024 Netflix original film starring Kajol Devgan as a righteous cop/lawyer and Kriti Sanon as a pair of twin sisters, who are dealing with the issue of domestic violence. When a criminal case is filed against a man, a Pandora’s box of ugly truths and secrets comes out. The police officer must find out if he’s really guilty or whether the case was manipulated.
Spoilers Ahead
What was Saumya’s statement to the police?
Do Patti began with Saumya and her husband facing a dangerous fall from a paraglider after they took off from the mountains. Saumya’s husband, Dhruv Sood, was the owner of an adventure sports company that carried out paragliding, among other sports, in the mountain town of Devipur. Saumya and Dhruv were barely rescued, and the former broke down out of genuine fear. Dhruv was arrested in no time, and Saumya, on reaching the police station, stated that her husband was trying to kill her. Dhruv denied such allegations, but police officer Vidya Jyothi had every reason to believe Saumya was stating the truth.Â
Why was Vidya checking up on Saumya?
The story goes into a flashback when Vidya heads to Dhruv Sood’s home to check up on Saumya after the neighbors complain of loud noises of arguments. Saumya had a wound on her forehead, yet she chose to not reveal anything to Vidya. Saumya was accompanied by her nanny, a mother figure who she referred to as Maaji, who also refused to speak up. Vidya was also known to have thrown her brother in jail for breaking the law. She was also a lawyer by qualification but chose to serve the police instead, and amongst her peers, she was a no-nonsense officer.Â
Who complained to Vidya about Saumya and Shailee?
Vidya wanted to have a word with Saumya when she learned the girl had a twin sister, Shailee. Vidya initially was not keen on taking up the case because Saumya was unwilling to file charges. Maaji approached Vidya at the station and revealed the complicated past shared by the twins. Shailee and Saumya were close to their mother growing up. Their mother died early, and the death had a profound effect on them, especially Saumya. She was diagnosed with anxiety and depression soon after, but Shailee figured this was just her ruse to get her father and Maaji’s attention. A jealous Shailee carried out unwarranted attacks on her sister and was forced to move to a hostel. Shailee chose to carry the anger for the rest of her life as she was the one forced to part from the family, not Saumya.
Saumya turned out to be sensitive and was on medication. She ran into Dhruv Sood, who helped her partially get rid of her fear of heights. Even though Saumya introduced Dhruv as a friend, she had developed feelings for him. Shailee showed up and purposely began to attract Dhruv’s attention towards her to antagonize Saumya. Saumya did not pursue Dhruv when she learned her sister and he had fallen in love. Dhruv, however, chose to marry Saumya, as she was the homely kind in her opinion, while Shailee was the alcoholic party girl. Shailee did not back down, as on the night of the marriage, she pulled a stunt to get Dhruv’s attention. Maaji, however, revealed that Dhruv was indeed abusive to Saumya ever since their wedding, but Saumya chose to stay married to prove to Shailee that she could make her marriage work.
Was Dhruv physically abusive?
One morning, Saumya tried to discuss Dhruv about having a child, but the conversation turned ugly. Saumya angrily stated Dhruv wanted a homely wife, but he was robbing her of one desire she had. She implied he was an unsuccessful businessman, and everything was offered to him on a platter. An angry Dhruv began to beat her up and eventually threw her down the stairs and left her to die. Shailee went to the family-run grocery store one night after closing time and was horrified to notice the injury marks on her sister’s face and begged her to leave Dhruv, but Saumya did not agree.
Why was Vidya frustrated?
Vidya witnessed a heavily injured Saumya walking by but could not take a statement as she would never agree to file the case. Vidya had asked Maaji to take some videos of him attacking her, but she failed to do so. Vidya learned Dhruv had attempted murder in Haryana. Since he was already known for his temper it led to a case being filed against him, Vidya realized he would be in major trouble if he was charged with physically abusing Saumya as well.
Did Dhruv threaten Vidya?
Dhruv complained about Vidya’s interference with her superior, claiming she was harassing Saumya to file a case against him. A distraught Saumya would repeatedly claim the injuries were the result of her accidentally falling. Saumya, however, requested Dhruv to rekindle their relationship by proposing his love for her while on a paraglider. He was an expert paraglider, while Saumya was not. She had done the activity only twice with Dhruv and only felt safe with him.Â
What happened after the Holi party?
During the Holi party, Saumya asked Dhruv to take her paragliding, and it was during this flight that there were countless witnesses to them falling out of the sky and Saumya’s cries for help. The couple was saved, and this connected back to the opening scene of the film in which Saumya filed an attempted murder case against Dhruv. Shailee was also shocked at the turn of events.
Was Dhruv sentenced for physically abusing his wife?
The case went to trial, and Vidya represented a distraught Saumya and put forward a barrage of witnesses who knew Dhruv was abusing his wife. Dhruv revealed that Saumya was a depressed patient. He also stated that the depression medication messed with her mental stability, and it led to Saumya harming herself and blaming him for the injuries. Shailee was brought to the stand and claimed she wasn’t aware of the abuse as her sister never divulged these details. However, her relationship with Dhruv began before his marriage, and both were accused of having an affair after the nuptials as well. Dhruv was caught when he said Saumya never knew to paraglide, and as an ignorant woman, she would not have removed the harness as that would put her in danger. This proof was enough to put Dhruv in prison for thirteen years, as he was accused of attempted murder along with charges of domestic violence.Â
What did Shailee reveal?
Moments after Dhruv was sentenced, Vidya noticed a look shared between the sisters at the court, and she wondered if the case wrapped more quickly than she had anticipated. Vidya was known for being very by the book, and she started wondering if Dhruv was deceived by Saumya and Shailee and if the sisters had an ulterior motive. Shailee revealed that on the night she ran into her sister at the grocery store, she noticed Saumya was spiraling. It could be her mental breakdown after having faced violence that almost killed her.Â
Shailee forgot all the animosity she had for her sister, and she had the urge to save Saumya. It was the first time there was a mention that their mother may have been a victim of domestic violence, and that their father got away with it. Saumya stated Dhruv would get away as well and nobody would care if she died. Shailee had to find a way to help her and let Dhruv pay for the crimes he committed. She was also probably glad to not have married him after witnessing how her sister was being treated. Vidya believed Saumya had lied to get rid of her husband.Â
Did Saumya lie about domestic violence?
Vidya felt the women were taking advantage of the system to use it in their favor. Her belief in Saumya was shaken as she assumed she was a meek woman who’d never mustered the courage to speak up against Dhruv. Vidya believed Saumya and Shailee plotted to trap Dhruv because the court wouldn’t believe her words without evidence. Since Dhruv was from a family of means, he would get away with his crimes and most likely won’t agree to divorce as well if Saumya chooses that path. Shailee took Saumya’s place on the way to the paragliding and created a scenario that made Dhruv look like the villain. The evidence in the form of video could be used in court to prove he attempted to kill her and had done that in the past as well. This was an outlandish plan, as it was stupid to believe Dhruv would not recognize his wife. This was also convenient, as Shailee quickly had a change of heart on seeing her sister having a breakdown while all these years she believed Saumya was pretending to be sick. That sudden shift did not make sense, as Shailee was willing to pursue her brother-in-law. Shailee going against Dhruv was also a sudden change in her arc.
Vidya planned to reopen the case, but Shailee begged her not to. Shailee was apologetic about her behavior towards Saumya in the past, as she could not withstand her sister being abused, and the court won’t hear it without any evidence. Shailee felt this was unfair, which was the reason they manipulated the situation to make sure Dhruv was arrested. Since Vidya was already building a case against Dhruv, the paragliding accident helped them accelerate and let the world know that he was a pathetic human being. Shailee’s defense made sense as they had to twist the truth to show the world Dhruv Sood’s real face. Dhruv was going to manipulate the case as well, but before he could do it, Saumya and Shailee pulled the stunt, indicating both were smart.Â
Vidya went ahead with reopening the case to defend Dhruv when Shailee took a stand and said she was apologetic to her sister. She acknowledged she’d put her sister through hard times. Shailee stated it was wrong of anyone who witnesses domestic violence and did not complain to the police about it. She felt guilty about it, and coming out and accepting her mistake was Shailee’s redemption. Shailee also revealed that she and her sister were witnesses to their mother being the victim of domestic violence and remained silent. She felt it was wrong of both to have remained quiet and not fought for their mother’s justice. Saumya may have stayed in the marriage as her mother did the same. According to her, that was the norm until Shailee got her out of that zone and helped her see that a life without Dhruv would be better. Vidya was moved by Shailee’s admission of guilt, which helped her decide against reopening Dhruv’s file. Vidya realized there was no black or white in Dhruv’s case because he was a serial abuser, and that was proved. How the police got to that was not important. This was a lesson to Vidya, as by the end of the film, Dhruv continued being in prison.
Do Patti ended with Vidya continuing her patrolling and responding to a distress call. The mother-in-law in the house stated it was a family matter. Vidya was quick to deduce it was a domestic violence issue and rather sternly stated it was a criminal matter. The Saumya case made Vidya realize she should not wait for evidence to be gathered before filing a domestic violence case. It needed to be taken at face value rather than waiting for women to get evidence to prove their stance.