Spoilers ahead…
Vishal Bhardwaj’s Pataakha is a masterclass on how a skilled editor can make the most flow-free film… well, flow. The story is the equivalent of the 2001: A Space Odyssey scene where the astronaut goes about his 360-degree jog in the space shuttle — there’s movement, there’s forward motion, but we seem to be stuck in a loop. Badki (Radhika Madan) and Chhutki (Sanya Malhotra) are sisters who cannot stop fighting. For about ten minutes, the catfights and the coarseness (of language, of attitude, of the perpetually stained teeth) are fun, completely at odds with the feminine, flowery names of these sisters: Genda Kumari and Champa Kumari. But then they fight some more, and Dipper (Sunil Grover, who’s hilarious) provokes them some more, and they fight some more, and Dipper provokes them some more…
The repetitive structure of the screenplay – based on Charan Singh Pathik’s short story Do Behnein — is intentional, sure. Bhardwaj, these days, can’t seem to sneeze without snotting out a metaphor. The sisters are stand-ins for India and Pakistan. When they address their father (an excellent Vijay Raaz) as bapu, it also seems a nod towards… Bapu. Plus, there’s an assertive bride from Nepal, a grandmother who represents America, and some talk about batwara (partition). The acting is uniformly good and this well-crafted film is never unwatchable, but the repetitive rustic shtick feels hollow after a point and becomes wearying. It’s left to Sreekar Prasad to imbue Pataakha with constant sense of forward motion — the buildup to a massive set piece, after the sisters get married, is extraordinarily done. (There’s a bit of fun about the identity of the grooms, but it’s already been spoilt in the trailer.) But it isn’t enough. Even Bhardwaj’s music fails to deliver fireworks. The title promises an explosion. You get a half-damp squib.
Copyright ©2018 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Anu Warrier
October 2, 2018
😦 I like Vishal Bhardwaj and I do like his conceits, but his films are always 1/2 an hour too long. It’s as if he doesn’t know how to conclude (Kashyap is another one who doesn’t know when to stop). The acting is usually top-notch; and frame by frame, you can watch each one and want more. Put them together, and there’s always something missing. Or something over the top. The last film I like in its entirety was Kaminey. I liked most of Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola and I must have been in the minority. Haider was brilliantly acted but something was missing (again!) and Rangoon was… well, I don’t know what it was. (Again, top-notch acting from all three.)
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Rocky
October 2, 2018
My best VB film is Maqbool, then Omkara , Kaminey, Saat Khoon Maaf and Matru.
Did not like the politics of Haider and the Climax of Rangoon.
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Rocky
October 2, 2018
This is hilarious video of the two sisters – seen a lot of this around my house –
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tejas
October 2, 2018
@Anu – Matru ki Bijli fan represent!
I read the ½ hours in your comment as 2½ hours, and I would still agree. I enjoy the poetry in his films when it’s there but cannot tolerate most of the films in their entirety for the life of me.
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Dracarys
October 2, 2018
Brangan, just checking, are you done with the writing of this review? It just feels just the half part. You usually explain your reasons after you made your point ( damp squib).. and then go on about talking about the main highlight (here it is editing) amongst other things.
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vishakha kulkarni
October 2, 2018
after all the waiting for your review of this one……yeh to shuru hote hi khatam ho gaya..
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Krishikari
October 4, 2018
I really enjoyed Rangoon and watched it twice. Sure there are OTT moments and too many National Anthem scenes but I don’t understand the overall dismissal. This one looks like fun, but judging from the trailer the sisters come off like caricatures rather than characters.
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The Ghost Who Walks
October 4, 2018
@Anu Warrier
A thousand likes to your comment.. Agree with everything that you said. Kaminey and Matru were the last Vishal Bharadwaj’s movies that i completely enjoyed watching. Haider did have a lot to like about, but wasn’t as satisfying to watch as it was to dissect later.
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Rocky
October 4, 2018
I also enjoyed Rangoon in parts , but the Climax was just so stretched and unbelievable .
Aside: I still use the line in real life (when necessary) from Maqbool where Pankaj Kapoor says to one of his guest, while stuffing a paan forcefully in the guest’s mouth- ” Gilauri (paan) khaya karo Miayan, Zubaan kaboo mein rehtee hai !!
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An Jo
October 7, 2018
BR Saab: As you mentioned, the loopy/repetitive structure is intentional and is akin to the unchangeable geography of the 2 nations.I think that’s what he intends to display; that both countries have arisen from the same fate, now are at different stages with Pakistan being arguably behind India at least on the economic front [Chutki keeps adding fuel to fire by repeating that Badki’s husband is always a notch below in terms of employment/job-title in the village-folks’ eyes.] They start off very poor, as adults grow in ‘size’ [population of the 2 countries?], are stuck to each other almost like conjoined twins, but HAVE to keep fighting no matter at what age and stage they are in their life. Keeping in line with that, I thought VB kept it witty and interesting through the writing by bringing in various ‘other’ interferences throughout those different stages [Patel, Grandmother.]
I wouldn’t debate about the feeling you had that it was very lengthy for it’s intended purposes. The repetitive shtick didn’t play out well for you I guess, or played out too long and that’s subjective. [Actually, that’s what I would like to know if the movie failed for you only in the last few minutes or the entire movie failed to affect you because of the length vis-a-vis its repetitive structure.]
I felt the same and highly irritated in fact, when I was watching Surya’s 24 when the director goes on and on and on about Surya utilizing the time-machine — though it is the film’s central conceit — and the director freeze-framing cinematically to indicate Surya having fun with the heroine. At least here, there’s some progress to indicate time passing by; in 24, beyond a point, there was actually no point in continuing showing Surya’s ‘enjoyment.’
Also, politics aside, I feel THE BLUE UMBRELLA and HAIDER are his most accomplished movies to date, and in all departments.
Vishal pulls out the final Trump – pun intended— card when he constructs scenes embodying the ‘can’t live with them, but also without them’ conundrum. Badki loses her voice [hysterical euphonia], while Chutki loses her eye-sight [hysterical blindness.] Badki can’t bear to hear her sister’s success in the English language department while Chutki can’t bear to see her sister’s success in the dairy department, thus implying the under-lying, ever-green pangs of jealousy between the two nations and its results. Both regain their aural and visual functioning once they retreat back into their fighting selves! In short, their peace lies in their fights.
https://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/an-jo-on-pataakha/
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ramitbajaj01
October 9, 2018
Allow me a loose interpretation :
Badki represented Pakistan (Indus Valley Civilization). Chutki India. Their Bapu was UK (and later UN). After their fights getting out of hand (in school), Bapu/UK tried to seek solutions. Chutki/India wanted the status quo. Badki/Pakistan wanted a drastic step- separation from school/present system. Bapu/UK tossed the coin (plebiscite), and it fell in Badki’s favor.
Meanwhile, Mr. Patel/China wanted to influence at least one of the two newly formed states. But Badki ditched him/it for Iran (Iran being the first country to recognize Pakistan as a free state). And Chutki ditched him/it for America (her bf speaks English and shows her the dream of an English speaking future through American coaching center). Mr. Patel/China thus had to settle with Nepal (bride).
Later, the sisters learnt that Iran and America were actually allies (Reza Pahalavi regime). And after years of coping, this alliance broke off, perpetuated by an internal coup.
Pakistan and India continued to grow in their separate ways. The former economically, the latter in education sector.
But do they feel sufficient in themselves? Are they happy without each other?
If two sisters, neighbours or mother-in-law/daughter-in-law are fighting, is it necessarily a bad thing? Is separation the only way? Maybe instead of the lifeless calmness, they prefer the colorful bickering and bitching?
Also, was Sunil Grover playing as Religion?
P. S. – Some diplomatic angles seem to have been deliberately exaggerated for dramatic effect.
P. P. S. – I guess the use of the terms like batwara, america, etc in the movie was a red-herring.
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sanjana
October 9, 2018
Thats a very interesting interpretation from Ramitji.
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Paras
May 19, 2019
Guess I am too late to comment but happened to catch this movie just today on Prime. And yes, as usual, immediately after watching started reading BR review. The review ended abruptly and after reading the comments, sort of agree with Ramit. Few observations I had during the movie however are slightly different from what Ramit and others have felt. One is Sunil Grover’s character felt like one of the subconscious mind of the person(s) with whom he was sharing the frame at that point of time. When he was in the frame with the 2 sisters,he seemed like he was the subconscious mind of them. In the last scene with Bapu he suddenly pops in the train, and suggests some ideas as if he was Bapu’s conscience. In the 1st act, in the mela scene, One instance he is shown as selling sarees/bras and almost gets beaten up and then suddenly he is shown to be present with the elder sister asking her to look at her younger sister’s boyfriend. There are many such instances and layered scenes and I can go on and on.
Also, I thought Patel (the yellow Nano guy) was actually representing UK who eyed/coveted both the countries lustfully pre-partition and post partition represents the wealthy US who is very happy to set of fights between them, by buying land at thrice the rate. I also felt that elder sister represented Pakistan whereas younger one was India because of few subtle scenes and hints.
The last final sisters fight scenes left me bit emotional because of the way it narrates the love between them so explicitly yet subtly.
Overall, even I felt the story pace is slow in the 1st act and can have been 15-20 min shorter. And what’s with VB himself appearing in the last few scenes in the Holi song 🙂
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