User reviews

The telephone has left its indelible mark as a horror film element, thanks to many Japanese films and Hollywood remakes which dwell on mankind's fear of pervasive technology, and it is easy to mistake this Bollywood film, written and directed by débutant Vijay Lalwani as one of the run of the mill horror films which the protagonist get antagonized by strange phone calls made to him in the middle of the night. Thankfully though it steered clear of that formula, although it did become quite the stretch in its home run revelation, to achieve what's relatively short for an Indian film that clocks in just slightly over two hours.

Farhan Akktar impresses and carries the film on his shoulders from start to end. Famous for being a prolific producer and director himself, he has no lack of acting chops and takes on the role as the mysterious Karthik Narayan, a meek man who is agonized by his childhood secret of having been involved in his brother's death. Carrying that kind of guilt while growing up does severe deficiencies as a child, and he becomes very much reserved, often failing to let his talent shine, and being trampled over in his office. He is infatuated with his beautiful colleague Shonali Murkhejee (Deepika Padukone) to the point of being a crazed stalker, accumulating thousands of emails he just had not the guts to send out, and it is this point about being obsessed that is truly scary in the film, especially when these emails were used to aid in the wooing process. Run, girl!

The only other film I watched Farhan star in, is the ensemble piece Luck By Chance, which gave a contemporary look at the Bollywood film industry. Here he cuts his Karthik in two different styles, the first of course which is the shy and gentle meticulous genius with a penchant for solving Rubik cube puzzle. The second develops when Karthik receives anonymous calls on his landline, from a chap to claim to be Karthik himself, dispensing advice on taking personal ownership and standing up for oneself. It's a confidence booster that Karthik's own psychiatrist (Shefali Shetty) seem unable to dispense, and with the prep talk every dawn at 5am, Karthik becomes the confident man as he struts around the office, succeeding in every aspect thanks to those calls, and eventually wooing the girl of his dreams.

The first half focused on the romance for the most parts after Karthik's professional life gets sorted, and here the usual musical montages form the backdrop of the courtship between Karthik and the outgoing Shonali. Deepika Padukone's career so far as been an interesting one, bursting onto the scene with Om Shanti Om and Chadni Chowk to China, both films where she would play two characters each. Thereafter the roles offered somehow didn't challenge the actress, from Bachna Ae Haseeno and Love Aaj Kal capitalizing on her good looks to become yet another romantic heroine. Karthik Calling Karthik again doesn't allow her to break new ground, other than being the clotheshorse in the film..

For a first timer, Vijay Lalwani doesn't become like Karthik in being the bundle of nerves, but pulls this film through with a story that discusses about how technology develops itself despite detrimental effects to health, and mental issues of guilt and intricate complexities of the mind. Through the narrative he challenges the usual norms that one would stereotype this film under, although for a teasing moment decided to let it go a little to offer what a horror film would do with ease. The cards get kept close to his chest with a satisfying revelation at the end of course, but somehow the second half, in which Karthik would be set to challenge the caller after a series of downfalls because of the breaking of promises (and if pushing it, the inevitable trusting of a woman!), seem to be dragging things out for a tad too long, and convenient to boot as well.

No cheap gimmicks were used, and by steering clear of the expected, Karthik versus Karthik manages ring through (pardon the bad pun) as an above average thriller.

It seldom happens after watching a Bollywood movie that you walk out assured that this has to be a Hollywood remake, going by the quality of the script and the execution, and then are surprised that it isn't. This is what happened to us when we came back home after watching KCK. First thing I did was checked on the internet but couldn't find any hint of this (to my happiness, surely I'll be disappointed if someone told me that it is a copy). KCK is a fresh flavour in an industry where outdated recipes are the order of the day.

The strongest point of the movie is the script. Taut and to the point. No fuss, no time wasted on useless banter. In the first ten minutes, you are in a 'zone' and that continues for the next 2 hours. The soundtrack is well embedded into the movie and the camera-work has a youthful feel to it.

We didn't have big expectations from the movie, being our first Farhan Akhtar enacted movie, and we only know him more as a director. But he surely lives up to it with a good rendition of Karthik (and surely takes up most of the screen area). Deepika Padukone doesn't have a lot to do, and it could have been any other girl with no big difference. Ram Kapoor and Shefali do well in their limited roles.

Wake Up Sid, Rocket Singh, 3 idiots and now KCK. In my opinion, Bollywood is taking a turn and for the good.

Ring Ring! Karthik picks up the phone and speaks to someone he never thought he would.. The person speaking claims to be Karthik!

The person claiming to be Karthik calls Daily at 5 am and says he is there to change Karthik's life......

REWIND

Karthik is an IIM topper and the record breaker of CA exam.. His job sucks and he is frustrated of his life.. His boss tortures him and the girl(Deepika Padukone) whom he secretly loves doesn't even know he exists or not!

THEREAFTER

Karthik is a changed man! Shonali(Deepika) is now his girlfriend! He has been promoted on his job! His boss is now polite to him! Thanks to his 5 AM friend!

But you keep guessing that is it possible? Can you ever get a call from yourself? This is what you keep thinking till the climax unfolds and you come to know the truth behind that mysterious phone call!

Special Kudos for débutante director Vijay Lalwani for making a great thriller! This is Farhan Akhtar's third film as an actor and it must be said that he takes giant strides when it comes to acting.. This is by far his best work! Not many movies in bollywood have been made under the genre of psychological thriller and that is main highlight of the film.. Vijay Lalwani's writing is superb and direction is fantastic! The music of the movie(Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) is an asset for the film! Background score by MIDIval Punditz is great! Deepika is getting worse! She definitely needs someone to train her!

The main aim of a suspense movie is to keep the audience guessing what will happen next and Karthik Calling Karthik succeeds in doing that!

To conclude:

Positives: The suspense is maintained well, Superb acting by Farhan and excellent music!

Negatives: The ending of the movie may NOT be appreciated by some!

My Rating : 7/10

Thanks and Regards

This is the first review I am writing and I am writing it because I just had to. So impressed was I after watching this movie. I am still surprised that it has come from Bollywood and not Hollywood. The script is the strong point of the film (I shall not delve into it as it is a suspense story). It is original (as far as I know) and neatly does the job of keeping you guessing till the end. Though some people are not happy with the ending I was quite satisfied with the explanation given. It is an acceptable resolution from a psychological point of view. This film must be the first psychological thriller from Hindi filmdom and quite a credible one at that.

The execution of the script is also exceptional. Acting by all the key people (which by the way is only a handful) is very spontaneous and natural. Cinematography is in line with the thriller genre with a lot of shadows thrown in for good effect. Music (both songs as well as background score) also fits the mood of the film perfectly. Editing is tight and there is no lag in the movie. Overall this debut effort by Vijay Lalwani is quite appreciable as he steers clear from stereotypes and clichés. Kudos to the whole team behind KCK.

Alongwith "A Wednesday", "Rock On", "3 Idiots", "Dil Chahta Hai", "Munna Bhai 2", "Chak De", "Lagaan" & "Rocket Singh" this movie makes it into my list of all time favorite Hindi movies in recent times.

As the strange name "Karthik calling Karthik" forces you to think about movie, ditto with the well maintained suspense. It forces you or better says engages you for 2.5 hrs that most other bollywood movies never accomplished even for few mins. It's nice to see lot of bollywood movies coming up with tight script and engaging direction. Even most traditional film director/actor is coming with as bold movie as "My name is Khan"!! . As bollywood is always blessed with powerful actors, but it's only since last few years we are seeing above par script and well crafted direction, and on top of that versatility of subject selection is like icing on cake. Let's hope this trend will continue.

As movie is suspense thriller, it's not worth to discuss story. At glance it look more like beauty and geek kind of material, but turns into more meaningful storyline that keeps you engaging till end. As for Deepika, she is still learning and did as expected to do but Farhan Akhatar is improving with every film. At first he started acting for fun, but now he seems more sincere about the same.

Nothing negative about this movie but, I still miss Farhan Akhatar as director. For me "Dil Chahta Hai" and "Lakshya" are much worthy then any of his film as actor. Hope he will not let his inside director vanish completely.

All in all KCK is one more movie from bollywood this year that is worth watching. 7.5/10

hey everybody, don't listen critics, this is a superb movie which leaves u engrossed for the whole runtime and never runs away from its point, the characters are real and u feel part of them. the storyline is perfect, the songs are well embedded, farhan and deepika are just brilliant. and the suspense is worth sitting, the background score is enough engrossing that u feel a part of it, the moment it begins. Somehow, I could correlate to KARTHIK from the word go and loved it, I was so into the movie that I watched into full one stretch and didn't even move a single inch here and there, come what may. So forget critics, watch this superb movie and be proud that in this totally blurred and commercial age of bollywood in which actors like SRK and AKSHAY don't know nothing except to be making films for own motive, we have actors like FARHAN which r sincere and want to work from their heart, not because they want to earn money, but because they want to act.

The basic premise of KCK is indeed novel and the entire team should be lauded for defying the run-out-of-mill formula and having the conviction to come up with something real hatke! The premise has strong potential of a gripping psychological thriller albeit for the reader audience. Lets accept it, owing to the visual limitations certain aspects of the plot cannot be effectively translated to screen and potentially the seams tends to give away. I am sure the intent was to make make the audience jump out of the seat and say "Whoa! Where did that come from?" (read that "The Sixth Sense" effect). The Indian audience over period of time have been exposed to plots dealing with twist endings. In that respect the ending was sort of coming (atleast for me). Had KCK was made about a decade ago it would have made dent in the audience's mind.

Performances::

Ø Farhan Akhtar is spot-on in both Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. The transformation to the suave Mr. Karthik was albeit a bit too quick.

Ø Deepika has a strong presence. She appears quite tall to Farhan but that's pardonable. Her lifestyle reflects the urban life we are living in. And gone are the days where the girl used to bin the cigarette, its boy turn to take vengeance.

Ø Ram Kapoor was well suited to don the Indian Boss.

Ø Yatin Karyekar had a short but effective role.

Ø Shefali Shetty was an unwarranted character in the movie. Introducing this segment actually starts the thought process of playing devil's advocate.

Songs deserve a special mention. KCK have a few awesome number, thanks to SEL. Lyrics to Javed Akhtar carry a nexgen feel.

Verdict: Okay for one-time watch. And I am sure it has garnered substantial multiplex audience.

A kind of movie that keeps you glued to the seats, and keeps u wondering for what would happen next.

Nice movie, excellent direction and portrayal of angle's. Definitely have to appreciate the director and team for a good movie far from typical bollywood crap item songs, crap scenes, etc.

If u really enjoy movies that would thrill you, it is indeed a must watch. It is a movie that you have to watch frame by frame.i guess people who didn't like it skipped scenes hopping to see some action and fights. I guess.

Hats off team

Good Movie. Everybody acted very well in the movie. The story in the movie was new and good. The movie was so interesting and thrilling. The movie lagged a lot due to some unwanted scenes in 1sr half. The 2nd half in the movie was so interesting and thrilling. The movie has some interesting twists and turns. Songs were not so good in the movie and they were not needed in the movie. BGM was good in the movie. Good Movie.

a marvelous job sir vijay..wat a a film screenplay and direction... the film end depict that director has really did research to bring a awesome end......wat a master piece. though by all Indian website reviews it was not regarded a good film so i prepared myself that this film was a flop so would not be good but as movie reach to its hour the film itself changed my mind and gave birth to feeling within myself that i am not watching a bollywood film but a film of Hollywood....farhan akhter and vijay(director,screenplay writer) really deserve some recognition for his work... otherwise Bollywood would be unfair to him. really bollywood hasnot yet prepared for a standard film which is free from all that unrealistic things such as songs and love triangle..

most of Indian film critics gave it rating 2 0ut of 5 but i will rate it 4.5 .

The movie starts with a shy personality trying to overcome this heartless world. First half of the film is gripping and exiciting but other half fails to deliver up to that mark. It is backed by the strong performances of the cast. Farhan Akhtar's acting makes it a must watch movie.

Am 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. Knows his innermost secrets. And promises to help turn things around. And he does. He injects confidence into Karthik, changes his look, instills 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 and cool office.

I wish they'd thought of another, less predictable, more innovative 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 on itself.

John Houston's Maltese Falcon (1941) has a memorable scene. Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade creates quite ruckus outrageously shouting at the "Fat man", breaking a glass for the effect snapping he means business and giving him a deadline. He walks out with a grin on his face facing audience happy with the bluff-show he put up just in there. Protagonist Karthik is no Sam Spade. He is shy and reserved, quite a loser in life. But after a 5 am call his life is turned upside down. He walks in the office, floors his boss with his worth, bags the job, money, new luxury cabin, position and then like in the same vein as Bogey chortles with the getaway and so are we.

Before this transformation we meet him as a sad figure for sure. We see him being bullied then fired by his boss. Alone on his birthday with zero social-life and unnoticed by his long crush (Deepika, gorgeous presence) after years of working in same office. He tries to commit suicide. A call saves his life. Strange thing voice identifies himself as Karthik. Spooky? Yes. It changes his life. All things negated earlier are now reality. Call becomes his secret. Central conceit of the film forms its title.

Film is pitched in as a thriller, a psychological one and when romance of story dominates and marks the peak moments, it's not a good sign. Frankly, conceit is weak and guessed before I got in my seat. Lurching in second half movie never tightens its grip on audience. Still it sparks with witty moments not to forget this an attempt which tries to divert from the conventional cinema.

A word for Farhaan. He established himself as one contemporary breed of directors who makes urbane and smart mainstream films is definitely emerging as promising actor. He made his acting debut with Rock On! followed by a brilliant feat in Luck By Chance. He is like James Stalwart to me. Understated and striking.

For him alone I can recommend this film but honestly overall it's partially worth. So final verdict – Rent it.

Saw this in a theatre when it released in 2010. Was discussing with my friends how most of the Bollywood psychological drama/thrillers r basically not at all original. This name came up n when I told my friends about this film being heavily borrowed from Adam Green's Spiral, I thought about writing a review of it. Inspite of it being borrowed, this film is a good one time watch n it is heavily saved by Farhan Akhtar. There's something weird about the lead character in Karthik calling Karthik played awesomely by Farhan. It's easy to feel sorry for him. Farhan gave a memorable performance in the role of a deeply disturbed and secretive individual. Much better than Moore from Spiral. Fellas who havent seen Spiral will definitely enjoy the twist. This film is more of a psychological drama.

Karthik Calling Karthik tells us the story of Karthik. A man who is a loser in all aspects of his life. Everything in his life is going wrong until he receives calls from a person calling himself Karthik.

Suddenly the life of Karthik changes with these phone calls and he achieves success in life. But he does not know anything about the anonymous caller and why would he want to help him. After a few twists and turns Karthik finally finds out who is the other Karthik.

The main aspect of the movie is its writing. This movie is very well written with some very good dialogues and many twists and turns. Farhan Akhtar gives a very good performance as Karthik. This movie is an edge of the seat thriller, really worth a watch.

Karthik calling Karthik seems to be a low budget movie with a fewer star cast, unlike his previous movies. This one does not have a ensemble star cast as ' Luck By Chance ' or trendy touch like ' Rock On ', instead the movie is bit darker and seems to loose it touch in the second half, At some points you feel that the movie is dragged little too much, this could have been made as a 30 minutes episode on some thriller TV series. Any way this is not an entertainer you get bored after watching 1 hr of it.

The movie was all about Farhan and he has done a good job being Karthik "He will definitely make it to the best actor category in all the major Indian Awards" he has a completely different look and manages to surprise audience with his performance, deepika looks glamorous but does not have much role to play compared to the male lead. Acting was good enough and they manage to make you laugh, over all movie is a one time watch for the suspense it has which later disappoints at the end.

I would add its music to my music collection but i don't think this movie will make it to my Movie collection, i rather watch this movie on T.V on a Boring Sunday Evening instead of watching it again and again in a theater.

KCK is a well made movie that does not insult the intelligence of the viewer. The script, editing and story telling is crisp. Acting is believable. Overall I came back very entertained. Not the typical film from Bollywood that gets put out in the name of "masala". A special word of praise for first time director Vijay Lalwani for trying something bold and off-beat in his very first movie. Also Farhan deserves special mention; he dons the cap of lead actor and does a very commendable job. He is truly the "master of all trades" -- a good director, producer, writer, singer and now an actor. Shefali and Ram Kapoor have also turned in good performances.

Just about 15-20 people turned up for the show. The multiplex I go to (Inox Swabhumi) has small crowds but this was sparse by even their standards. Every one is still catching up with My Name Is Khan or Three Idiots.

The movie itself was a bit of a disappointment though I didn't expect much. I looked forward to seeing Deepika Padukone in the unorthodox and brave style she usually portrays and Farhan Akhtar in his logical usual because I enjoy both these roles. Deepika was excellent in Love Aaj Kal and Farhan Akhtar was good in Luck By Chance. As much as I love Farhan Akhtar (I placed two of his films in Bollywood decade top 10), I think his acting is good without being close to great. And that's fine, you can't be great at every thing.

Coming to the movie. It had a pleasant first half and an excellent start to the second half. The grip and tension could not be maintained though. It felt like a slow drama evolving in front of you instead of a thriller like it should have been (in the same pace of Johny Gaddar). There was never a moment of pure brilliance or a shot taken which really enthralled you.

The songs except Lehrake Bhalkake were all OK tunes and even though I don't care much about songs, I expected more here. Ram Kapoor of Rakhi Ka Swayamwar fame was good in his role of Farhan Akhtar's boss. The mystery behind the movie was not very complex and I figured it out partially very early into the film. I am watching Teen Patti next and I expect it to be the better bet of the two this weekend.

6/10

The movie promos seemed promising to begin with. The lead character is Karthik who is a looser kind of a guy with no self confidence. He receives a phone call one day from Karthik and his life changes within a few days. However complications begin to arise later.

The movie has a good plot to begin with but is weakened by some seriously dragging screenplay. Farhan Akhtar has a long way to go in acting. His performance is very weak and he is unable to carry on the whole film on himself.

The movie has a really bad ending which was the worst part. This movie is at least 5 years late, so many movies have been made with the theme that it is almost a cliché now.

Bollywood is now crossing the much needed borderline with a new thought process followed by its young film-makers who are coming up with some fresh ideas on the screen. This is indeed a welcome change in the Indian Cinema and a wish come true for the Hindi movie lovers as they were all fed up of seeing the same old & rotten plots presented again and again before them in the name of new movies.

But ironically the new age wave is still going through a transformation phase where the ideas are no doubt new, but they still are arguably not appropriate for a full length Hindi movie which normally goes beyond 2 hours of duration. Karthik Calling Karthik exactly falls in the same category where the idea is good and the presentation is fine but there are certain facts mentioned below which completely go against the movie and disappoint.

1. It's time we break the usual mould and come up with movies based on some new subjects but of duration much less than 2 hours as required by the plot. KCK is a perfect example of this as the movie is stretched to a great extent post intermission resulting in many unimportant scenes and boredom.

2. Following the Western trend we should surely have an Original Soundtrack for a movie comprising of few songs but what's the use of including all those songs in an experimental kind of movie such as KCK. Here though the tracks are well composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and can be easily rated among their best work of this year. Still they could have been used in parts or in the background score as they do result in a too lengthy movie at the end which is painful.

3. Talking about the balance between the promos and the actual content, we have to be bit careful in that department. In many of the recent projects we have seen that the promos presented before the release are much more interesting and appealing than the actual movie. May be the makers are working more hard on the presentation of their projects and less on the content part. Same is the case with KCK, where the promos were really promising and attractive but the movie is not that pleasing at all. The script writers have prolonged several sequences in the film in order to make it a full length movie and in the end the double identity secret turns out to be a complete spoiler.

4. Actually it's the climax of KCK and the revelation of the second Karthik, which proves to be the main culprit here. The concluding moments of the movie just turn it into a below average flick and ruin all the brilliant build-up successfully created by the director in the earlier reels. The writers certainly should have thought of a different mystery in the end, which could have enhanced the overall impact of an otherwise watchable movie with some good performances.

In short, KCK is a worth-watching flick before the interval and simply pathetic in its second half. It's a perfect example of how a few awfully written concluding moments in a script can become the spoil sport for a decent project. Debutant director Vijay Lalwani, shows the sparks of a skillful director who can handle an offbeat subject competently. But in KCK he undoubtedly becomes a victim of a faulty script. The soft romance between Farhan & Deepika in the first hour is beautifully conceived by the director and is the only worth mentioning merit of the movie. I wish, he could have seen the weakness of his climax and rectified it in time. But now as its too late, so he will have to face the consequence for his wrong choices made. Musically the movie is quite rich in its soundtrack as well as in its background score. Cinematography is simply great and highly enjoyable, especially in its opening titles.

On the performance scale, Farhan delivers a fabulous act of a loser. He shines brightly both as a weak, shy employee harassed by his boss and in a contrasting personality of a stunner. In fact Farhan's act in KCK can easily be rated much better than his other two movies as an actor. Deepika Padukone surprises you with her natural act and gorgeous looks. Yet her smiling face also seems to be repetitive (reminding her previous movies) to a great extent. Farhan & Deepika form a pleasant pair on screen but you are sure going to miss the witty dialogues between the couple, prominently showcased in the promotional campaign of the movie. Ram Kapoor impresses in his role of a tough boss and Shifali Shah is good as the therapist. Rest of the cast performs at their level best.

In a nutshell, Karthik Calling Karthik is a good attempt ruined by it's over length and unconvincing climax. The movie which was very much based on the suspense factor of the second Karthik, loses its track post intermission and fails to impress with an underwritten revelation of the secret. As a result it can neither be termed as a gripping thriller nor as a good romantic love flick. But the movie is still watchable for the dazzling act of Farhan and his breezy romance with Deepika.

Firstly iwant to talk about bad sides of the film. In my opinion the movie is boring because of actings. Actually the story of the film is uniqe and goergous, not like actings. But the ending of the movie was predictable. I was predicting what would happen from the beginning. Of course there is a schizophrenic man. Still, I have to admit that they handled the story of a schizophrenic man in a very different way. It' s a good thing. Ok then let's talk about good sides of the film. First of all phone call scenes are amazing. It was super spooky. Also, the way the character dealt with this situation was very clever. I think people have such phone conversations in themselves. sometimes i think you encourage and humiliate yourself. So guys i think you should watch and interpret the movie.