“Pataakha” should have been a short film, but it got inexplicably extended into a 136-minute full length feature. Much like his protagonists, Bhardwaj doesn’t know when to cut it short and walk away.

On the flip side, the plot gets a tad repetitive in the second half and seems dragging. Thankfully, Sunil Grover comes to the rescue and pulls up the strings.

‘Pataakha’ has the fuse, but not the firepower…Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaption is buoyed by crackling performances

he rustic tale of sibling enmity provides an abundance of wisecracks
Pataakha has everything that makes it a perfect fit in Vishal Bhardwaj’s oeuvre: literary adaptation, feisty women, rustic hinterland, unapologetic use of dialect and free-flowing gaalis. Yet, the film doesn’t feel contrived or formulaic.