Champa (Radhika Madan) is the older sister — as reflected by her nickname Badki. And then there's Chutki (Sanya Malhotra) aka Genda aka Marigold, as her English-speaking husband calls her lovingly. While Badki is a tempestuous simpleton who is happy with her beedis, gets along more with cows than humans and aspires to own a dairy one day, Champa is a dreamer, and wants to be a teacher. They live with their father (played by the ever-brilliant Vijay Raaz) in a village in Rajasthan and their lives are driven by a tooth-and-nail sibling rivalry and one-up-(wo)man-ship. Champa and Genda do not get along, and it's the biggest bane of their existence. Throw in a jester — Sunil Grover plays Dipper, a quintessential Vishal Bhardwaj-esque character who is equal parts the narrator and equal parts the cinematic lubricant — and an effortlessly raw and rural setting, and you're sucked into the film's milieu.

Vishal Bharadwaj’s Pataakha, based on Charan Singh Pathik’s short story Do Behnein, has managed to pull off a rousing parable. Radhika and Sanya are two powerful performers at the top of their game here. They literally are on-screen fireworks. The chemistry between the two is indubitably hair-raising and plays a pivotal role in keeping the mood of the film enjoyable throughout. Once again, thanks to Bhardwaj for depicting the rawness of Badki and Chutki’s characters so unabashedly.

Sunil Grover as Dipper is truly worthy of praise as he convincingly breathes life into his character that is equally hilarious and wicked. Vijay Raaz yet again gives an exceptional performance as a burdened ‘Bapu’ who is perpetually stressed about his mining business and the growing fights between his daughters. His sincerity and immense dedication towards his craft loudly speaks to his performance.

Overall, Pataakha is a well-crafted adaptation of Charan Singh Pathik’s short story Do Behnein, which ends with something that’s quite clearly wishful thinking.