Mission 7D.7F.7C – Day One: Karthik Calling Karthik

While leafing through the newspaper a few days ago, I had this crazy idea for shaking things up a little in my life, which has been going through an excruciatingly dull lull lately. (I’m not someone who can go without the buzz of accomplishment—no matter how trivial—for too long.)

So, seeing that many of the films I fancied watching were already running in cinemas and a few were slated to release with the next change, I decided to watch 7 films in 7 days in 7 different cinema halls (that’s what the 7D.7F.7C in the title is for) and then come back home and write about my experience every day! The ‘coming back home and writing’ bit is meant to give me quality writing practice and more importantly, to teach me to curb my tendency to procrastinate.

So wish me luck and let me know what you think of my “crazy” idea.

Here goes day one of Mission 7D.7F.7C:

Date: March 1, 2010 (Monday)

Film: Karthik Calling Karthik

Cinema: Fun Cinemas, Grand Sigma Mall, Cunningham Road, Bangalore

The really odd thing about Fun Cinemas is the location of its box office (ticket counters). Especially if you are in a hurry to catch a film that is minutes away from starting. So no matter what you do, do not rush up to the fourth floor where the screens are, assuming you will get tickets there too. Instead, calmly proceed to the basement parking (finding the way to which, might I add, is a task in itself) where the ticket booths are actually (and rather illogically) situated, buy your ticket and use the elevator to make up for lost time.

Luckily for me, I arrived in good time and had no anxious moments about whether I would miss the crucial first few minutes of the film or not. There’s nothing I hate more than lowering my bottom into a plush seat after the feature presentation has already begun.

(Which brings me to a suggestion for those who do find themselves in the unenviable position of having to wade through a furrow of shins, feet and uncomfortable glares to get to their designated seats after lights have been dimmed and the screening started: DON’T FACE THE SCREEN WHILE DOING THE SQUEEZE AND SHUFFLE! POINT YOUR BUTT AT IT, INSTEAD! No one wants to have to look at another person’s backside while they block the giant curtain and take away valuable seconds of seductive cinematographic sightings. I’d rather have the satisfaction of viewing embarrassment plastered on your face than cringing at Mickey Mouse boxer shorts that barely hide the eighth wonder of the ancient world—your hairy crevice.)

Coming to my views on the film itself, I must say I am very disappointed by those responsible for designing and art directing the film’s publicity. When I saw the trailer for Karthik Calling Karthik on television and then its advertisements in the newspaper, the typography, colour scheme and style of visuals used in them all led me to believe that this was another quirky comedy of recent times á la Bheja Fry. In reality, the film has very little for you to cackle over. This bugs me even more because as a graphic designer myself, I feel deceived by its promos. A big thumbs down to Himanshu and Rahul Nanda for misrepresenting the content such.

Briefly put, the film is about a shy introvert called Karthik who lets people walk all over him and treat him like dirt while the very beautiful Shonali, who he secretly desires, doesn’t even know he exists in the same office where she works. After a bad day at work that ends in him being fired and humiliated by his boss, Karthik slips into a passive, comatose depression, rarely leaving his apartment and spending his days listlessly flicking channels on TV. One night, he gets a call from someone who also calls himself Karthik and thus begins a friendship between them that changes Karthik’s life for the better. On following the mysterious caller’s advice, ‘Karthik the loser’ turns into ‘Karthik the winner’ who gets his job back (with a higher post and salary) and wins the heart of Shonali, the female colleague he secretly desires.

All is well (the first half of the film) till Karthik tries to explain his alter-ego on the phone to Shonali so that there are no lies between them. In doing so, he breaks his promise to ‘Karthik the caller’ and all hell breaks loose (the second half of the film) till his psychiatrist figures out what’s going on. In that diagnosis of Karthik’s problem by the psychiatrist rests the brilliance of the entire plot helping the film conclude at the right pace without being too abrupt or drawn-out.

As far as acting goes, I feel Farhan Akhtar does a commendable job of playing the shy and introverted Karthik. Deepika Padukone doesn’t have much of a role as Shonali and seems to have been cast to provide ‘visual relief’ (aka eye candy) more than anything else. The chemistry between Farhan and Deepika is surprisingly non-existent (in spite of her good looks) and romantic scenes between them are a struggle. It’s almost as if two strangers who have just met are being forced into a romantic relationship with each other. Like in this still, Farhan seems uncomfortable being so close to Deepika, physically and emotionally, throughout the film:

Overall, I would give Karthik Calling Karthik a rating of 3/5 and hope the director, Vijay Lalwani continues to explore such interesting concepts in future films.

Where films based on psychiatric disorders go, I would recommend this one over Bhool Bhulaiyaa any day.

I hope my review was helpful to at least some of you who haven’t watched the film already. With more practice over the coming 6 days, I should become a more articulate reviewer and might even think of upstaging Nandini Ramnath, who writes for Time Out Bangalore. Keep your feedback coming in or I will never know.

Now go check out the vigil idiot’s review of KCK (in stick-figure comic form).