Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb TIFF Portrait StudioHispanic Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Karthik Calling Karthik

  • 2010
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Padukone in Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)
Karthik Calling Karthik Trailer
Play trailer2:26
3 Videos
52 Photos
Psychological ThrillerDramaMysteryRomanceThriller

A much abused loner achieves success, and even wins the heart of his gorgeous co-worker, after getting early morning mysterious phone calls from someone.A much abused loner achieves success, and even wins the heart of his gorgeous co-worker, after getting early morning mysterious phone calls from someone.A much abused loner achieves success, and even wins the heart of his gorgeous co-worker, after getting early morning mysterious phone calls from someone.

  • Director
    • Vijay Lalwani
  • Writer
    • Vijay Lalwani
  • Stars
    • Farhan Akhtar
    • Deepika Padukone
    • Ram Kapoor
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    15K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Vijay Lalwani
    • Writer
      • Vijay Lalwani
    • Stars
      • Farhan Akhtar
      • Deepika Padukone
      • Ram Kapoor
    • 64User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 8 nominations total

    Videos3

    Karthik Calling Karthik Trailer
    Trailer 2:26
    Karthik Calling Karthik Trailer
    Karthik Calling Karthik Featurette
    Featurette 4:19
    Karthik Calling Karthik Featurette
    Karthik Calling Karthik Featurette
    Featurette 4:19
    Karthik Calling Karthik Featurette
    Karthik Calling Karthik Featurette
    Featurette 3:53
    Karthik Calling Karthik Featurette

    Photos52

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 46
    View Poster

    Top cast37

    Edit
    Farhan Akhtar
    Farhan Akhtar
    • Karthik Narayan
    Deepika Padukone
    Deepika Padukone
    • Shonali Mukherjee
    Ram Kapoor
    Ram Kapoor
    • Kamath Sir
    Shefali Shah
    Shefali Shah
    • Dr. Kapadia
    • (as Shifaali Shah)
    Vivan Bhatena
    Vivan Bhatena
    • Ashish
    Vipin Sharma
    Vipin Sharma
    • Landlord
    Yatin Karyekar
    Yatin Karyekar
    • Boss at Blue Draft Couriers
    Tarana Raja
    Tarana Raja
    • Neelu Didi
    • (as Tarana Raja Kapoor)
    Vinay Jain
    Vinay Jain
    • Siddharth
    Siddhartha Gupta
    • Young Karthik
    Swapnel Desai
    • Young Kumar
    Kanchan Pagare
    • Peon at ACL Office
    Brijendra Kala
    Brijendra Kala
    • Telephone Exchange Clerk
    • (as Brijinder Kala)
    Haansaa
    • Secretary at ACL Office
    Khyati Kanchan
    • Hair Stylist
    Vijay Badlani
    • Colleague at ACL
    Abhay Joshi
    • Phone Salesman Mumbai
    Zafar
    • Karthik's Father
    • Director
      • Vijay Lalwani
    • Writer
      • Vijay Lalwani
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews64

    7.215.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    9shahz_ca

    a film not for bollywood old viewers.KCK bringing bollywood to higher level

    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 .
    9Fella_shibby

    Heavily borrowed from Adam Green's Spiral but heavily saved by Farhan's acting.

    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.
    7naman-avastol

    Five minutes into the film and i was hooked!!

    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
    7neerajpatodi

    Rare thriller from bollywood

    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
    8agoyal1979

    Bollywood comes of age, again!

    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.

    More like this

    Table No. 21
    7.2
    Table No. 21
    Talaash: The Answer Lies Within
    7.3
    Talaash: The Answer Lies Within
    13B: Fear Has a New Address
    7.4
    13B: Fear Has a New Address
    No Smoking
    7.3
    No Smoking
    Wake Up Sid
    7.6
    Wake Up Sid
    Delhi Belly
    7.6
    Delhi Belly
    404: Error Not Found
    7.3
    404: Error Not Found
    Blackmail
    7.2
    Blackmail
    Ittefaq
    7.2
    Ittefaq
    Go Goa Gone
    6.7
    Go Goa Gone
    Ugly
    7.9
    Ugly
    Wazir
    7.1
    Wazir

    Related interests

    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the sake of his role in the movie, Farhan Akhtar had taken to solving the Rubik's cube. He became so passionate about it that he solved it wherever he went from parties to shoots to meetings. Since he is known to be a method actor and a perfectionist who believes in going through his paces beforehand, he began learning to unlock the puzzle much before the film hit the floors. He tagged the cube along with him everywhere and practiced it in his free time - in his car, at theaters or even in his office. And reportedly, very soon he became such an expert at it that he now throws challenges at others to beat him at it.
    • Goofs
      When Karthik buys the telephone for the first time, the vendor tells him it's a new Japanese model. The box has Korean written on it (above "Kyungmin Corded Phone") and then the English translation underneath. This is seen more clearly when he buys the same phone towards the end of the movie.
    • Quotes

      Shonali Mukherjee: Oh God ! Let me guess. You don't drink !

      Karthik Narayan: If i do get drunk... will you take advantage of me ?

      Shonali Mukherjee: No...

      Karthik Narayan: Then what's the point ?

    • Connections
      Features Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Hey Ya!
      Written by Javed Akhtar

      Composed by Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa

      Performed by Loy Mendonsa, Shankar Mahadevan and Clinton Cerejo

      Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Karthik Calling Karthik?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 26, 2010 (India)
    • Country of origin
      • India
    • Languages
      • Hindi
      • Urdu
    • Also known as
      • Cuộc Gọi Bí Ẩn
    • Filming locations
      • Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    • Production companies
      • Eros Worldwide
      • Excel Entertainment
      • Magic Beans
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $286,409
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $179,643
      • Feb 28, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,627,172
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 15m(135 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.