Karthik Calling Karthik (Hindi)

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5.5/10
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6.5/10

Meet Karthik: an introvert by nature and shy by choice. Karthik suffers with huge confidence issues and is miserable at his just average job that yields less than average results. His boss treats him like dirt. Shonali, his colleague who he secretly loves doesn't even know he exists. Karthik is a loser, knows it, and accepts it.

Karthik believes his life can't get any worse and then suddenly one night, it happens; The phone rings. And Karthik speaks to someone he never thought he would - He speaks to a man who also claims to be Karthik. The man on the phone says that he is here to change Karthik's life. Karthik accepts the phone in his life and soon it becomes his guide, his mentor, friend and guardian. And most importantly it becomes the ticket to the love of his life, Shonali and Karthik's life changes in ways that he hadnít imagined.

Meet Karthik: an introvert by nature and shy by choice. Karthik suffers with huge confidence issues and is miserable at... Show More

Jina Dcruz

Editor   Feb 28, 2010 07:58  6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

First impression when the movie started rolling was- Farhan Akhtar looks a lot like a watered down version of Jack Shepherd from Lost. And he resembles him in more ways than one. They both are a curious package of winner and loser combined into one. And the movie is also just that. It wins some and lose some.

Karthik calling Karthik is a strange mix of blatant reality and incredulous eccentricity. It manages to balance both for the most part, but fails towards the latter half. The movie in itself is slow and makes you wonder where its leading- Some might fall asleep with that and some will be on the edge of your multiplex chair-your choice.

It possibly could have been a welcome change from the all perfect heroes who usually don the Bollywood screen. But apparently, these days the scarred and scared heroes rule the market. Yet, Farhan Akhtar steals the show with his easy portrayal of the protagonist with a charming disguise.He ace the part of the wounded hero -making us ache for the damaged goods. He is a treat to watch and definitely should do more films. Deepika totally fits the ice queen office doll (who is also smart), but I wonder whether she can ever get out of that mould.(Another Aiswarya Rai in the making, I suppose).

The writer has been obviously reading Kafka. There are some brilliant strokes in the movie- like the lone tear hidden beneath the boring glasses of Karthik leaving the office when he gets fire, before and afters of the makeover of the man and his home, a Rubiks cube which encompasses all things mundane yet amazingly powerful.(Farhan learnt to solve the cube for the movie, says Wikipedia.Wow).

The screenplay gets increasingly chunky towards its second half. When the only two people in the movie theatre (perks of going for an Indian movie in a US theatre on a Friday) guesses the climax, it could only mean one thing- Either we are exceptionally smart or the climax is passe which any ardent Sydney Sheldon fan could easily spot. But mistake not, I do have the creeps every time a telephone rings at home.

I wouldnt call it a love story nor a thriller. It hangs in a fine line between the two.But its definitely worth a watch. After all, the movies motives are sincere and its heart is in the right place.

And if not anything, you should watch it for Farhan Akhtar. Uff teri Ada!