Karthik Calling Karthik

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 26th Feb, 2010
Time : 155 minutes
Director & Writer : Vijay Lalwani; Music : Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Starring : Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Shifaali Shah, Ram Kapoor, Vipin Sharma, Vivan BhatenaAm trying unsuccessfully to think of any other art form (apart from books), where a bad ending can spoil the entire performance. Coz that’s what happened here. Very good performances from foxy Farhan & the delectably dimpled Deepika and some excellent humour gets almost completely wiped out by an end that makes you feel limp as you walk out of the hall.


Karthik (Farhan) is a loser. Tormented by guilt over his brothers death when he was a kid. Stuck in a demeaning job under a demanding, abusive boss. Hounded by his landlord. Unable to even tell Shonali (Deepkia), who works in the same office, what he feels for her (he’s written hundreds of emails to her but they’re all in the drafts folder). In fact, she doesn’t even know that he exists. Then, one day, when things around him seem to have reached their nadir, he gets a phone call.


The caller claims he is also Karthik. Has the same voice. Knows his innermost secrets. And promises to help turn things around. And he does. He injects confidence into Karthik, changes his look, instils in him a jaunty swagger. And makes him successful in his job, with the landlord and also with Shonali. The caller calls everyday at 5am. Asks for nothing. But there is one condition – Karthik shouldn’t tell anyone else about the call. But Deepika doesn’t want any secrets in their relationship. Who is the caller ? What will happen ?


The lead pair and the sense of humour is what keeps you glued to the screen, for the highly enjoyable first half anyways. Farhan alternates between wimpish doormat and a cavalier, confident character with ease. Deepika has never looked as lovely and yet so accessible – no dolling up here, no Armani’s – just a very good looking girl who works in your office. And just wants a guy who’ll be straight with her. Both seem to have fun with each other too – their sense of humour exemplified by the way he asks her out for coffee (the best one being the wada pao message on the photocopier – wish I’d thought of that in my courting days) or how she responds when asked ‘yeh kya hai’ after one drink too many. Both manage to keep a straight face consistently so it adds to the fun.


Farhan & Riteish’s (the producers) movies always have good music and excellent contemporary styling and this one is no exception, a v nice background score being hummable and enjoyable while the transformed Farhan gets this really cool pad, threads and office.


I wish they’d thought of another, less predictable, more innovative and less flawed ending (my wife actually came up with one that wasn’t too bad). I wish when we walked out of the hall we did so peppy, upbeat like most of the first half. I also found an issue with the transformation of Farhan – I found it too easy. Life never is. And a sense of humour can be the toughest thing to acquire. Yet Farhan seems to acquire it almost magically. I wish the message of the film had not got confused and instead had been ‘stand up for yourself’. As someone in the hall sniggered at the end ‘moral of the story : never tell women the truth’. The film brought this upon itself.

Luck By Chance

Rating : 7/10
Time : 156 minutes
Director & Co-writer : Zoya Akhtar; Co-writer : Farhan Akhtar; Music : Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Starring : Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Hrithik Roshan, Dimple Kapadia, Isha Shervani

Is your success due to luck or your hard-work ? As in real life, this film does not provide a definitive answer but showcases how both have a significant role to play. The acting is excellent and there is a lovely understated sense of humour through the film. And the story, set in the Hindi film industry, provides enough engaging characters to keep you completely engrossed from start to finish.



Farhan & Konkona are struggling actors, both having taken different routes to get even to this stage. Farhan left his father’s shop in Delhi, went to an acting school, very interestingly run by Saurabh Shukla, lives with his rapidly running-out-of-patience masi, and is relying on a friend of his to get him his first breakthrough. Konkona walked out of her parents home and life in Kanpur straight into the arms of a producer who promises to cast her as second lead in his next film. Three years later, she’s doing bit parts and starring Bhojpuri films, while still waiting for the film launch.


In another interesting story line, Rishi Kapoor, owner of Rolly productions, a successful veteran producer, is trying to get his film underway. He’s appointed his brother, Sanjay Kapoor, as director. He has Isha Shervani, a new face and daughter of yester years superstar Dimple Kapadia, as his heroine. And he has an increasingly reluctant superstar, Hrithik Roshan, as his lead male. How all these plots come together comprises most of the film…


What the film does brilliantly is provide a good, semi-realistic look at the hindi film industry and the world that exists behind the silver screen. A world of fragile ego’s, petty jealousies, silver spoons, intense backbiting, never ending gossip, small white lies and ceaseless in-fighting, all in a effort to get ahead and get the next hit. It’s a world where big names and banners count, true talent frequently takes a back seat and yes, luck can play a very important role.

The sense of humour through the film keeps the mood light hearter. Whether its Saurabh Shukla’s ticking off Farhan (art imitating life here ?) for being understated vs the normal exaggerated male actors, Hrithik’s reaction when he learns that Karan Johar’s lead actor has broken a leg, his argument with Sanjay Kapoor on the song sequence and their subsequent reactions, Farhan’s realizing whom to butter and then playing the mother daughter team of Dimple and Isha like a guitar, the whole grandfather clock sequence, the ‘bahut tension ho rahi hai, thodi vodka aur daalo’, ‘she’s a crocodile in chiffon’, and Kareena’s ever so sweet ‘you can come over anytime’ to a struggling actor, followed very quickly by a deadpan ‘I’m just kidding’, it makes sure you keep smiling.


Farhan elicits a few ooh’s and aah’s from the female audience for his shirtless poses and dance steps, during the first part of the film. He is understated as usual, some of the jokes, when he gives Isha a horse statue instead of flowers and then follows it up with a ‘no more horsing around’ when the director protests or even his ‘you live in a cake’ remark, seem completely like him in real life. Konkona is brilliant, effortlessly playing a character going though the highs and lows of life, remaining grounded, emotive and looking lovely. My admiration for Farhan (is there anything the man can’t do – write, direct, sing, act, look good ?) and konkona (is there any role she cannot fit completely and naturally into ?) just grows with every film of theirs. A cherubic, curly haired Rishi Kapoor and an graceful Juhi Chawla look good together, Dimple looks every inch the ex superstar and dominating mother, with her vehement description of her early days in the industry providing an insight into the struggle that normally awaits most newcomers. Isha also gives a very good portrayal of a spoilt, foreign accented star daughter (the khoon / murder rehearsal was very funny, as was the ‘log kitne narrow-minded hote hain’ while she slyly slips her hand in her co-stars).


For a change, we have a very well thought through story line which is made a lot more convincing due to the number of guest appearances. Aamir Khan, Raju Hirani, Anurag Kashyap, Manish Malhotra, Kareena, Abhishek, Shabana, Javed Akhtar, John Abraham, Dia Mirza, Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Khanna, Rani Mukherjee all add to the realism. There are several serious themes which are touched upon – the prevalence of looks vs talent, the star mom’s, the casting couch, the dominance of big names in India, the lack of original content / storylines. And both Karan Johar and Shahrukh say something quite apt, which is given added credibility because its them, with their real-life background, saying it.

I was reminded of Pretty Woman’s ‘This is Hollywood, Whats your Dream ?’opening and closing statement. For a change, even in Bollywood (apologies to Dimple for using this term), Zoya Akhtar, in her debut film makes it seem like every dream is possible !