Pataakha Movie Review: A Ferocious Tale Of Two Warring Sisters Which Soon Turns Towards A Monotonous Wheel!

Pataakha narrates the peculiar story of two warring sisters who cannot stop hating each other. The two have a deep unexplained hatred for each other and they do not fail to express it passionately by literally beating the life out of each other. This unique rivalry sets the plot in motion while the setting is based on the rural interiors of Rajasthan.But despite of this freshness, the film does not fail to get a tad bit monotonous and directionless in several occasions. Not to forget the deep rustic Rajasthani accent of the protagonists which is incomprehensible at times coupled with the drag scenario of just the enmity between the two sisters during the entire movie along with some directionless sequences turns it towards the monotonous wheel.

The two sisters Badki (Radhika Madan) and Chhutki (Sanya Malhotra) never miss an opportunity to rage war against each other much to the amusement of the villagers and the person who adds fuel to the fire is the cunning Dipper (Sunil Grover) who never fails to initiate their hatred for each other to grow even deeper. The plot is based on the short story 'Do Behenein' by Charan Singh Pathik which portrays this raging relationship between the two sisters. Caught between them is their helpless father (Vijay Raaz) who cannot stop wondering why his daughters are hungry for each others blood half of the time to which one soon gets the answer that the enmity between the two sisters is similar to the warring animosity between India and Pakistan who are characterized by their rivalry and life long struggle. 

The setting and locales of the rustic interiors of Rajasthan have been created in a realistic manner. But the heavy dialogue delivery in the rustic Rajasthani accent often becomes uncomfortably incomprehensible at times to understand the satirical humor. Both Radhika Madan and Sanya Malhotra breathe life into their character in the most realistic way. They instill the blazing, fierce and spirited traits in their performance in the most effortless manner, even gaining weight for their physical transformation post interval. The other supporting cast comprising of Vijay Raaz, Sunil Grover, Saanand Verma, Namit Das and Abhishek Dahun also get into the skin of their character efficiently and offer a much relieved comic relief to the conflicting backdrop. 

Vishal Bhardwaj has instilled a rustic and earthly appeal to several aspects in the film. The soundtracks have a homely feel to it but do not impress given Bharadwaj's penchant for his music. The second half which mostly revolves around the physical and psychological effects on the sisters due to their bitter sweet relationship with each other is interesting but becomes tiresome after a point. But, the movie has an honest earthly effort by Bharadwaj to depict this unique sibling rivalry which at least deserves a one time watch.