Farhan Akhtar’s fondness towards off-beat cinema mixed with entertainment continues with Karthik Calling Karthik. The film is aptly so named, which gives the idea of the unusual nature of story that’s in store!
Somewhere in Mumbai, there hails Karthik [Farhan Akhtar], working in a construction company called ACL Constructions. A loser in life, he is bullied by his landlord [Vipin Sharma] for not paying the extra deposit, looked down upon by his boss [Ram Kapoor] who expects miraculous performances from him, setting unrealistic targets. He is so short of confidence and temperament that he remains un-noticed by his love interest Shonali [Deepika Padukone] working in the same office as him. He is not able to gather enough confidence to start a conversation with her. The professional advice from the psychiatrist he visits too bears no fruit. Karthik is pained by the way life shapes up for him, but suffers in silence.
Till one fine day, Karthik receives a mysterious call from himself! He hears his own voice on the phone, and the caller identifies himself as Karthik. But this Karthik counsels him on phone day after day, which turns his life upside down. He becomes a winner from a loser. He takes care of the landlord’s tantrums, gets his lost job back with a better designation and even wins the heart of his silent love – Shonali.
Things then change in the later half of the movie, when Karthik reveals to Shonali about the mysterious calls. This disturbs the “calling” Karthik and he ruins his life. How the mystery of the calling Karthik unfolds forms the rest of the movie.
Direction by Vijay Lalwani is refreshing. The screen play is patchy at times. The songs portray the theme and the situation of the story, and are more like back-ground score. Music by Shankar Ehsan Loy is not too catchy, but that suits the requirement of the script. Of the cast, Farhan Akhtar performs well as the frustrated Karthik. The character of Karthik can give a lesson or a two to Aditya Chopra and Shahrukh Khan that you don’t have to have a funny walk or oily hair combed flat, or wearing a spectacle with a thick black frame to portray a simple or a nerdish man (Remember Surinder Sahani of Rab ne..?). Deepika Padukone as Karthik’s love is also excellent. The supporting characters of Ram Kapoor (Boss), Vipin Sharma (Landlord) and Shifali Shah (Psychiatrist) are cast accurately and executed well.
The plot is different, but not exceptional. When the mystery is revealed, then there are certain questions or arguments that can be raised about the story which can even be regarded as the flaws of the script. Conceptually, the film doesn’t have a moral or a message, nor does it educate or portray any issue. It just attempts to be different. If you are tired of those stereotyped movies and are looking for something unusual, then this is certainly what the doctor advised.
My Rating: **1/2
My Reality Check: ***
Somewhere in Mumbai, there hails Karthik [Farhan Akhtar], working in a construction company called ACL Constructions. A loser in life, he is bullied by his landlord [Vipin Sharma] for not paying the extra deposit, looked down upon by his boss [Ram Kapoor] who expects miraculous performances from him, setting unrealistic targets. He is so short of confidence and temperament that he remains un-noticed by his love interest Shonali [Deepika Padukone] working in the same office as him. He is not able to gather enough confidence to start a conversation with her. The professional advice from the psychiatrist he visits too bears no fruit. Karthik is pained by the way life shapes up for him, but suffers in silence.
Till one fine day, Karthik receives a mysterious call from himself! He hears his own voice on the phone, and the caller identifies himself as Karthik. But this Karthik counsels him on phone day after day, which turns his life upside down. He becomes a winner from a loser. He takes care of the landlord’s tantrums, gets his lost job back with a better designation and even wins the heart of his silent love – Shonali.
Things then change in the later half of the movie, when Karthik reveals to Shonali about the mysterious calls. This disturbs the “calling” Karthik and he ruins his life. How the mystery of the calling Karthik unfolds forms the rest of the movie.
Direction by Vijay Lalwani is refreshing. The screen play is patchy at times. The songs portray the theme and the situation of the story, and are more like back-ground score. Music by Shankar Ehsan Loy is not too catchy, but that suits the requirement of the script. Of the cast, Farhan Akhtar performs well as the frustrated Karthik. The character of Karthik can give a lesson or a two to Aditya Chopra and Shahrukh Khan that you don’t have to have a funny walk or oily hair combed flat, or wearing a spectacle with a thick black frame to portray a simple or a nerdish man (Remember Surinder Sahani of Rab ne..?). Deepika Padukone as Karthik’s love is also excellent. The supporting characters of Ram Kapoor (Boss), Vipin Sharma (Landlord) and Shifali Shah (Psychiatrist) are cast accurately and executed well.
The plot is different, but not exceptional. When the mystery is revealed, then there are certain questions or arguments that can be raised about the story which can even be regarded as the flaws of the script. Conceptually, the film doesn’t have a moral or a message, nor does it educate or portray any issue. It just attempts to be different. If you are tired of those stereotyped movies and are looking for something unusual, then this is certainly what the doctor advised.
My Rating: **1/2
My Reality Check: ***
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