 "‘Patna Shuklla’ movie review: Raveena Tandon is earnest in a part-prosaic and part-engaging drama")
Cast: Raveena Tandon, Manav Vij, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Satish Kaushik
Director: Vivek Budakoti
Language: Hindi
It’s hard to decide how to describe something cliched in cinema today. There have been numerous courtroom dramas and legal battles that we have seen, so how to go beyond the established template. Most of the films and even series (Guilty Minds being an exception) follow the David vs Goliath rule. The central character through whose eyes we are supposed to see the entire story unfold is the underdog, and the defence, who obviously plays the villain, is just a dog. Despicable to the core and someone who needs to be emotionally bruised and mauled in the end.
Patna Shuklla is no different and it’s fine. The film begins on the likes of what we saw Sridevi as in English Vinglish. No matter how many achievements she adds to her hat, for her husband, she (just) cooks delicious food. And the judge (the late Satish Kaushik) thinks likewise. And all these courtroom dramas need one twist in the story to set the narrative rolling, and in this case, it’s the roll number scam that has shaken a student to the core. It’s undeniably a fight for justice.
The unavoidable Deja vu
Not only English Vinglish, but there’s a sense of Jolly LLB-like quirk and earthy humour to it too. Kaushik is a judge who plays the character mostly for laughs, and post the Saurabh Shukla cult, the number of comic judges continues to rise (Read Sushmita Mukherjee in _Batti Gul Meter Chalu_ and Pawan Malhotra in OMG 2). Even the defence (played by Chandan Roy Sanyal) is written with a sense of evilness. Even the repercussions are now beginning to feel tired when the whole family has to suffer for someone’s battle for justice. Stories like Patna Shuklla and umpteen legal dramas have already taken sides, and this could be to allow us to root for the protagonist when they win in the end. And for us to root for them, we also have to go through certain one-note characters who try their best to add meat to their roles.
The earnestness of the lead
Raveena Tandon was last seen in Karmma Calling and now steps into the simple and rustic world of Patna, where fragrance and stench reside in equal measure. There’s something earnest about the way she approaches the role of Tanvi Shuklla, she’s restrained and yet, is able to convey what she’s feeling at a particular moment. And yes, gets help from the writing (Vivek Budakoti). And no matter how much you can predict the finale or even the twists in between, it’s always a delight to see the good trump the evil. Especially when it’s a woman. You see it’s no longer a man’s world.
Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)
Patna Shuklla is now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar
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