Do Patti: Kajol and Kriti Sanon on navigating Kanika Dhillon’s thrilling world

Irsquove always loved thrillers Be it those by Agatha Christie James Hadley Chase or Sidney Sheldonrdquo producer author and screenwriter Kanika Dhillon tells us ldquoThere are various artistes directors and writers who have been influences for instancemdashDavid Fincher in the way he holds tension I also really enjoy writing thrillersrdquoDo Patti releasing on Netflix this week is her second thriller this year after the Taapsee Pannustarrer Phir Aayi Haseen Dillruba a sequel to 2021rsquos twisty Haseen Dillruba Dhillon however is quick to point out the differences between the films ldquoHasseen Dillruba was a pulpy thriller it was inyourface loud and unapologetic Do Patti is more inward subtlermdashits unpredictability creeps up on you These films are at two different ends of the spectrum Irsquom really enjoying the diversity and exploring these nuances within the larger genre of thrillerrdquo she sharesKriti Sanon and Kanika Dhillon say that the cop character in their new film needed someone who had a sense of authority and believability and whom the audiences could instantly connect to Kajol fit the bill perfectly PicSatej ShindeDhillon has also coproduced the film with its star Kriti Sanon and shares how the experience taught her of the importance of good collaborators ldquoIt made me appreciate the kind of people I partner with because they have your back and you are in it together One really values that as a new producerrdquoDo Patti is a story of siblings twins played by Sanon who do not have ldquoobvious physical differences except for the length of their hairrdquo the actress points out ldquoThey were born and brought up in the same environment and speak in a similar manner It is their personalities the way they react to things their expressions and their respective emotional baggage from their past that was differentrdquoKajol on Kriti Kriti has done a lot more movies since Dilwale where we worked together Experience takes its toll allows you to grow up Do Patti was a more involved experience and there was a lot more meat to work withAnd then therersquos Kajol ldquoThe writer and producer in me were doing cartwheelsrdquo Dhillon tells us excitedly of the day the actress accepted the role The character a cop assigned to investigate a case involving Sanonrsquos characters had to have a sense of authority and believability especially since much of the story is told from her perspective ldquoThe audience has to instantly connect with her and we knew that Kajol as an artist connects hugely with audiences across age groups and borders Getting her was a big winrdquo the screenwriter admitsldquoI have been offered the role of a cop before but I didnrsquot want to do a throwaway role just because I hadnrsquot done it beforerdquo shares Kajol ldquoIt had to be done properly and in the right way I felt that this was the right script for it I loved it from the getgordquo Though the script had enough to go by the character underwent some alterations during the process of filming ldquoWe got a little bit of a dialect and I think when you speak differently you walk differently Your entire body language changesrdquo Kajol observesKriti on Kajol Shersquos open to things if itrsquos good for a scene and when therersquos a little pat on the back from her it just means so much Pics CourtesyNetflixKajol and Sanon have worked together previously in 2015rsquos Dilwale ldquoA lot has changed in her since thenrdquo chuckles Kajol about her coactress ldquoDilwale was Kritirsquos second film and shersquos done a lot more movies in this time Experience takes its toll allows you to grow uprdquo She admits that the Rohit Shetty film didnrsquot have too many scenes of them together and by comparison Do Patti was ldquoa more involvedrdquo experience There was ldquoa lot more meat to work withrdquo this time aroundThe younger actress recalls the time when they shot Dilwale as one when she was still making sense of the world of acting and film sets and was both reserved and in awe of the people and processes around her ldquoI donrsquot think we broke the ice at that point because we didnrsquot have a lot to go by I am glad that in this film we spoke about other things and discussed scenesrdquo Besides being a remarkable performer Sanon points out how Kajol is honest enough to indicate if a coactor can do better in a scene ldquoShersquos open to things if itrsquos good for a scene and when therersquos a little pat on the back from her it just means so muchrdquoKajol from a film family herself who has now effectively worked for more than three decades in the industry speaks of some of the changes shersquos been witness to over the years Vanity vans she says have been a positive change ldquoWe didnrsquot have them when I started work It was ridiculously difficult to be on location and change clothes or use the bathroom One of the reasons I think we have more women in the film industry today is the proper amenities we have now It has made a huge difference I know it sounds small but it isnrsquotrdquoBut there are things she misses about the old days too ldquoI think one of the great things was that we didnrsquot have mobile phones It gave us a lot more freedom and because you didnrsquot have a phone you had nothing better to do on set So you bonded When you sat around on a set with another hundred people you were bound to talk to somebody And your friends came over in between shots I think at that time everything was not so specialised so a 100people unit was considered a really big unit The industry has gone from being a small business to a big business Thatrsquos the main differencerdquo