Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)

Thanks for the memories!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Saw this in a theatre when it released in 2010. Was discussing with my friends how most of the Bollywood psychological drama/thrillers r basically not at all original. This name came up n when I told my friends about this film being heavily borrowed from Adam Green's Spiral, I thought about writing a review of it. Inspite of it being borrowed, this film is a good one time watch n it is heavily saved by Farhan Akhtar. There's something weird about the lead character in Karthik calling Karthik played awesomely by Farhan. It's easy to feel sorry for him. Farhan gave a memorable performance in the role of a deeply disturbed and secretive individual. Much better than Moore from Spiral. Fellas who havent seen Spiral will definitely enjoy the twist. This film is more of a psychological drama.

After 'Luck by chance' Farhan Akhtar is back on the big screen in 'Karthik calling Karthik'. With this role it gave him the opportunity to play a character that was more simple, vulnerable and emotional. The role has many shades and is not one sided. As in the same vein as 'Don' the movie belongs to the suspense thriller genre. Many people may have seen movies like 'Phone booth' and 'When a stranger calls', so this will be very familiar territory to those. The movie revolves around the telephone devise and how it becomes the centre of concern for a certain individual. The movie is directed by a newcomer by the name of Vijay Lalwani. He has also apparently written the script. I have doubts that he may hail from the school of Farhan Akhtar. His technique in making this movie are highly reminiscent of Farhan's style. For a directing debut feature Lalwani has shown competency in this department but in terms of writing there seemed to be a lack of substance. He talent has potential but the plot I personally feel required more complexity.Prior to watching this movie it is advised not to conduct research in to the mystery elements and the plot of the movie. This would most possibly eliminate all the suspense factors. For one to enjoy the movie at its highest level it is best to watch it with a clear mind and not have high expectations. The opening scene will indeed give the viewer doubts towards discovering the truth behind his characters past, however it is not as simple as it seems. The star cast is small and Ram Kapoor and Shefali Shetty have been included to make it worthwhile. Deepika Padukone who seemed perfect for the role manages to give good support to Farhan. Initially due to the age differences I felt that they did not suit each other. But their relationship is projected from a mature perspective so the pairing felt acceptable eventually.SPOILERS The plot revolves around the main character 'Karthik' played by Farhan. He lives by himself and shy and a introvert by nature. He has serious confidence issues and is constantly suppressed by his work boss. He secretly admires Shonali (Deepika) but is unable to express his feelings to her. Later to his surprise he discovers that she is in a relationship with a fellow work colleague. He purchases a new a telephone. This adds to his frustration in life as he begins receiving calls at 5.00 am everyday from a stranger who refers to himself as Karthik also. The callers voice also appears to be identical. After repeated phone calls Karthik begins to befriend the stranger as he supports him through tough times. He helps Karthik to become more sociable and gain self esteem. Shonali too becomes close to Karthik and they fall in love. He tells her about the caller and they attempt to discover who it is. Unfortunately after breaking the callers promise of not letting anybody know about the phone calls, Karthik's life becomes a nightmare as his life begins to fall apart. Shonali too rejects him. This forces him in to living in recluse and moving to a destination where he cannot be followed. Meanwhile Shonali and Karthik's psychiatrist attempt to locate him. END OF SPOILERAs the theme is not groundbreaking, it has been brought to the screen in an authentic manner. The director has incorporated many stylish camera angles which enhance the intriguing moments throughout. He has also managed to sustain the pace of the movie by simultaneously developing the character while progressing the plot too. The suspense and curiosity factor sustains through the movie however the love track tends to make the movie loose its grip at times, because it becomes a speed breaker. However the love track has its importance to the main plot.The climax is acceptable however I was expecting something a little more different. However it was not a disappointing revelation. It can be believable to a certain extent. The theory has been used in a few other movies. The background score was appropriate to the movie's theme. It helped bring on the correct atmosphere but was overused. Many scenes did not require it.Farhan Akhtar gives his best effort to pull off a complex role however I did not feel it was suited to his ability. He was unconvincing in portraying the emotional and fearful traits. Maybe a more experienced actor could have done a better job. Deepika Padukone again plays the love interest. Her hair, make up and costumes bring out the sheer beauty within herself. She does what she is best at and that is looking glamorous. Her acting abilities are improving and maturing from every movie she does. She gives good support but does not have much practical involvement towards the end.

A timid guy Karthik who is been bullied all his life finds himself a loser in his job, social and love life.Frequent meetings with a psychiatrist(Shefali) also fail to help.When things get completely out of hand, he attempts suicide.He gets an anonymous call(who claims he is also Karthik) right at that time, with tips to change his life. As time progresses he becomes a winner in all aspects of life but becomes heavily dependent on the early morning calls from the other karthik.When his new found girlfriend Shonali(Deepika) insists that he keep no secrets, he is forced to reveal about the other Karthik. From now on the plot gets sinister as both Shonali and the psychiatrist try to stop him taking these calls and get help. I would have a given a lower score but there are seriously creepy moments in the film. But there are too many holes for example Karthik is supposedly a CA and IIM topper.You cannot get into IIM if you are that low on confidence, they look for leadership material.His parents never seem to care, wouldn't you care if your son mysteriously disappears for months. And why would a great looking girl like deepika fall for a vey ordinary Farhan and seek him even after his extremely weird behaviour.I will not mention more as that would completely reveal the anyway predictable plot. The suspense is very predictable and director never cares to explain the root cause of Karthik's behaviour. Farhan please stick to direction, you are seriously lacking in looks and an average actor.

Indian cinema seems to be finally advancing to the next level. After "3 idiots" this movie is a second very good Indian movie I've seen lately.I liked the format of this movie. The movie was basically split in two. And they've fitted a lot in both halves. It was not even the half of the movie that I thought it is coming to a close. The first half seemed to be a romantic comedy centered on the classical BS of "you can be what you want to be". The geek falling in love with the resident beauty, whom he never talked to, seemed a bit cheesy, but by the middle of the movie it was sentimental enough. The first half provided a good setting for the second half.*********SPOILER******************** The best of the movie comes in the second half. By this time you are convinced that Karthik calls himself in some imaginary or mystical way. Because of the reviews I've read, I was led to believe that he was calling himself from future. The calls were very beneficial to Karthik and were surprisingly right on every issue. So you get to trust the person, that calls, as does Karthik. Overall you identify with Karthik a lot by this point. So when Shonali tells him that she cannot marry him, because of those calls, you feel, just as Karthik, that she betrayed his trust. You might also be surprised to see the caller turn against Karthik. When the mystery of the movie is finally revealed the movie is basically over. Karthik comes to the point where it all started and then suddenly comes a happy ending, "Big surprise". Overall his experience was very believable and helps people understand what Karthik is going through. It is particularly important in Eastern societies where such people are frowned upon. It was nice to see Shonali to stick with him after all. ************************************In the end it was an interesting movie with some good messages.I think the movie showed that the long format of Indian movies has a lot to give. I am not sure why Indian movies are longer. Maybe Indian viewers have always demanded more viewing time for their money and now they are used to it, or maybe they just have a better attention span than American viewer. In any case I think it is a good alternative to the Hollywood formats. Too often Hollywood directors have to cut good material to fit the movie into a time frame.Anyway this year might become a turning point for Bollywood thanks to films like this. It might be that Indian viewers are finally ready to watch these kind movies. Which is a good news because Indian cinema has a lot to offer. They finally can combine their experience in cinematography with nice stories. Up until now I mostly just watched the song clips from Indian movies, and there were only a few Indian movies I could suggest for others to watch. A rise of Indian cinema would be very handy considering the state of Hollywood cinema.