Patna Shuklla Review: Victory For Justice & Gender-Respect

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Patna Shuklla Cast/ Actors: Raveena Tandon As Tanvi Shukla, Manav Vij As Raveena’s Husband Siddharth Shukla, Chandan Roy Sanyal As Neelkanth Mishra, Late Satish Kaushik As Arun Kumar Jha, Jatin Goswami As Youth icon Raghubir Singh And Anushka Kaushik As Young Client Rinki Kumari

Patna Shuklla Director: Vivek Budakoti

Patna Shukla Release Date: March 29, 2024

Patna Shuklla Available On: Disney+Hotstar OTT Platform

Patna Shuklla Released/ Available In Languages: Hindi

Patna Shuklla Duration: 125 minutes

Patna Shuklla Critic Review:

Right from Damini (1993) and Jolly LLB (2013) to Criminal Justice (2019), we’ve cheered the triumph of the underrated lawyer in the courtroom. Writer-director Vivek Budakoti goes a step further. Lawyer and “Sonu ki mummy” Tanvi Shukla (Raveena Tandon), taunted by her big-shot opponent Neelkanth Mishra (Chandan Roy Sanyal) that she’s best in the kitchen, and initially even by judge Arun Kumar Jha (Satish Kaushik) who admires her cooking skills, has more than just a case to win for her young client Rinki Kumari (Anushka Kaushik).

With bits of wit strewn all over, the good part is that the tone taken by Vivek is not priestly-preachy. At the end of Tanvi’s prolonged legal battle against bigwigs out there and against questionable actions on the home front, justice and lessons in ethics and gender-respect are emphatically dispensed. But with a sprinkling of fun. A peppy background score accompanies Judge Arunkumar Jha with his funny sense of santulan that ultimately seeps in to also balance inequalities.

The scam of switching the marks of an underprivileged topper with those of an underperforming rich kid is unexplored territory and therefore, refreshing to watch how it unspools. In this case, Tanvi’s fight is with political heavyweight and youth icon Raghubir Singh (Jatin Goswami).

While there’s much to recommend Tanvi’s story, there are a few imperfections spotted here and there. A judge entertaining a lawyer at home, even making tea for her, is not kosher. A hotshot lawyer coming across like a villain is too seen-before routine. A client who fights for integrity when she herself has broken rules and done something underhand, doesn’t get your full, unstinted sympathy. One also wonders why a swipe against anything political must have yellow-to-saffronish flags (never a purple or apolitical hue) and the bad leader must say, “Ram Ram” at the end of every menacing line.

It’s also a bit annoying to see Tanvi as the superwoman every working woman must be – a great cook, an uncomplaining hostess, a mum who chases the school bus to hand over “Sonu’s lunchbox”, a wife who irons her husband’s clothes…and still has the energy to go out to fight a legal case, looking unperturbed with nary a saree pleat out of place. Fortunately, when Tanvi’s facing a crucial innings, husband Siddharth Shukla (Manav Vij) steps in like a pinch-hitter which brings “santulan” to family equations. And, though you fleetingly wonder why something from Tanvi’s past is raked up to prolong the case, it does help to bring more integrity to her character.

Vivek Budakoti’s injustice and gender fight that has an ant-and-elephant analogy, is powered by Raveena Tandon who is in top form in and out of the courtroom, especially in the “we won’t bow down” scene with Anushka Kaushik who, in turn, performs competently as the beleaguered student-client. Chandan Roy Sanyal, Jatin Goswami and Manav Vij make strong support pillars. But the one to steal your heart is the late Satish Kaushik as the judge with humour and heart in the right dose.

Patna Shuklla – Watch Or Not?: It’s a neat and convenient OTT watch for the whole family.

Patna Shuklla Review Score Rating: 3 out of 5 (i.e. 3/5)

Patna Shuklla Official Trailer:

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