All audience reviews of Karthik Calling Karthik

Wrong Call, Yes. Because a potentially good movie with a gripping concept has been wasted. Partly, because it could have been better written(thats always the case with every bad film. Is there a story in there?).

Karthik(Farhan Akhtar) is the kind of paranoid loser you saw filling up the last benches in school, then agreeing to do whatver the bullies told him. Frayed nerves, slurred speech, safe dressing and the works establish him as a wimp. As opposed to Shonali(Deepika Padukone)- taller, hotter, high value, high heeled. No match there. Throw in a bully boss and no money and you have Karthik who ends his day yelping with his tail between his legs.
So far so good.
But there's something weird- he gets calls from well-wisher who doesnt talk like one. Free advice is what he has in abundance and he takes it. It works well for him though- the tail between his legs gives way to balls between his legs. Having grown a pair, he gets all that he ever wanted, including some high heeled Shonali loving. Unknown caller For The Win!

But a wimp is, after all, a wimp. If you know any, you'll know he HAS to screw up. And kaboom! He does. The caller tells him not to tell his secret to anyone. But so smitten in love is our poor guy that he tells Shonali, who goes about What-the-fuck-ing, first to herself and then to him. The caller revels in his 'I-told-you-so' tirades. The 'unpredictable' happens- balls gone, tail back. Girl gone, job gone, confidence gone, self-doubt back.
The guy loses more than he ever had. In fact, he gets into maniac mode that makes for some unintended laughter. He goes in hiding, isolates all his 5 senses.
EVentually of course, the whole premise of the movie is his 6th sense, his AWESOME< BRAND NEW PHONE!
*blank stares*
Yeah, the suspense boils down to the features of the phone. What could have been a gripping story about the power of the subconscious mind has just been wasted away.
I get a feeling, maybe, they could have NOT called it Karthik Calling Karthik? Yeah?

P.S: Farhan Akhtar is good, but does only enough to not let you leave the theatre in disgust. Deepika Padukone is...well...'Needs to work harder'. less

Cast: Farhan Akthar, Deepika Padukone.
Director: Vijay Lalwani.

The movie which was billed by the films owners as an attempt to highlight schizophrenia through some entertainment does not offer neither. The viewers are made to go through a roller coaster ride of emotions, drama, highs and lows of the protagonists life and in the end gets to know that the protagonist is suffering from schizophrenia. And after that? The End. The film is over and you are asked to move out of the cinema hall. The director should have dealt with as to how people suffering from schizophrenia deal with this disease and how they come out of this. The director has only highlighted the behaviour of schizophrenics. Nothing much than these. The concept is new but the story is average and lacks pace and sometimes moves at a snails pace. Farhans character is bullied at his workplace, his home and he can not bear it when he is fired from his office. And a couple of days later he is refreshed, ready to take on anything, set right his priorities and his life and the cause of all this is because of some gyaan from an anonymous caller by the character s same name and also the same voice. This gyaan helps the character to overcome his bullies, woo his girl. The movie goes on till the character cannot hide this fact from everyone and suddenly everything in his life becomes hunky dory. He loses his job, loses his girlfriend and he sets out to an isolated place in search of peace and after a few months the call resurfaces again in his life and everything is back to square one and suddenly there is an abrupt end to the movie. Lyrics and music is okay, not so great just like the movie. A nice attempt by the director to highlight the disease but much had to be done. Not a must watch but if you have time to pass you can as well watch this movie to know about certain symptoms faced by schizophrenics. less

Duration- 125 Minutes
Do not expect a Hollywood experience, you are going to land up very disappointed but going by bollywood standards, it is reasonably good.
The story, as is clear from the promos, revolves around Karthik (Farhan) who is youth with certain complexities due to which he is shy and introvert. As events take a huge toll on his life, he starts suffering from a split personality disorder. Initially there is a stark change in his life. He begins to take control of his life, changes his appearance, puts his ruthless boss in his place and wins over the girl he has been so madly in love with for years that he has written over a thousand saved as draft e-mails to her. What follows is a horrifying trail of events and his life turns into an irreparable mess. So far, predictable but the final twist is rather surprising and gets the viewers attention back just when one thought thats its a lost battle.
Farhan completely steals the show. It seems the guy cannot go wrong when it comes to bringing life into any of his characters and making them very believable. Deepika has done just as much as her character demands, no unnecessary skin show and well used. Needless to say, the music of Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy lives up to the name ! less

Direction, acting, TV show hosting, singing, whatever Farhan Akhtar does, he does with panache. A rockstar in RockOn, filling the big screen with his charm in Luck by chance, and now Karthik Calling Karthik, he is truly a revelation as an actor. As Karthik, an introvert loner who is exploited & ill treated by any & everyone who transforms into a confident, calculated aggressive guy in the second half and turns the table around to get what he deserve, he is a treat to watch. A new story given full justice by Farhan performance.

Karthik works in a small construction company doing all the drab work, His existence is completely unnoticed by his love interest Shonali played by Deepika Padukone (he has written 1317 mails for her but never had the courage to send them up). He is looked down upon by his boss, his landlord maltreats him. One day filled up with anguish and wrath, he is about to commit suicide when he receives the call from other person calling himself Karthik. Following his advices Karthik turns into a confident, savvy person who is still trustable but knows his worth now. He gets the position he deserves in the company, makes his presence felt to Shonali and eventually wins her over. But things turn soar when the caller Karthik (the other Farhan) turns furious & rebellious when his identity is revealed by Farhan to others. He now impoverishes him from everything he helped him gain before.

From introvert to a nice & safe guy for her love Shonali, and trying to recollect everything back of whatever he has been derided again, Farhan is very methodical. He plays each situation & transformation of Karthik immaculately. Deepika as Shonali playing a modern, sassy girl is stunning to watch on screen, although she should have been given more screen space. Vijay Lalwani , the director, brings out a refreshing story & concept out there. The movie lacks in the entertainment factor though. Also the plot is loose & illogical at some places and even goes weird sometimes (Karthik is an IIM topper, but still is not confident about himself, wondering how he got through IIM interview.), still the performances from the cast makes all that believable. The pacing is a little uneven, but still the thrill factor keeps you enthralled. Music is good, Uff Teri adda is a chartbuster. Karthik haircut (as in all his movies) like his acting is perfect.

Watch out for a different ( & uninspired Hollywood) cinema, purely for class act by Farhan, who makes the movie immensely watchable.

Out and out a Farhan movie. Go & watch it. less

Highly entertaining thriller less