Movie review: Karthik calling Karthik

Hi,

Finally I managed to buy the DVD for Karthik calling Karthik (KCK). There was only one in Emjay's (an 'Indian' shop that sells pirated DVDs) and I guess I was lucky to get my hands on it! (hmmm, I am pretty lucky in this aspect you know). I had been wanting to see the movie since before it was released. Main reason being that I absolutely LOVE Farhan Akhtar!!!!! (and yes, my husband knows about it)

I think FA is the sexiest actor we have currently in Bollywood (though he would not have removed his shirt in any scene I guess) and has brains too! Deadly combination! I mean for a guy who just sat at home for 2 years doing nothing but watching Hindi movies, he has achieved phenomenaly. He is an excellent actor, producer, director, and of course singer!!!! Okay, enough orgasms about FA. Let me talk about the movie.

From the promos I could make out that there would be some suspense element in the movie. FA's Karthik gets calls from a person called Karthik, who sounds like him! Ditto! And FA, like his father, has a very unique voice. So of course there was curiosity as to who this mysterious caller is, why is he troubling Karthik and how does he deal with it.

Now, having researched a lot of media (movies, scripts, TV programmes etc) with viewers, during my days as a Qualitative market researcher, I could make out the movie would be a winner! AND a loser too! Let me talk about the loser part first. Mainly, the topic of schizoprenia is such that it would be understood by an upmarket audience. I should actually say a more educated audience. Therefore, the appeal of the movie would be amongst the 'multiplex' audience rather than single screen theatre viewers. But then, most of FA's movies  Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On) are for the multiplex audience, metro types; he does not aim for mass appeal. I think this is okay, whether one calls it a 'limitation of the film maker', except for Don. (where the mass appeal was of SRK rather than the slick way it was remade).

Having quickly dismissed the 'loser' elements, let me detail the winners!! These are very obviously the direction and the acting. The director is a deubtant and given that, he has done an excellent job. The movie is fast paced and simplistic. Though the support characters are well etched, the script does not spend unnecessary time on further detailing them. More time is spent on Karthik, the central character and the emotions he goes through. There was never a point in the movie when I felt bored, I kept thinking what is going to happen next!! The pace is very important for such a movie, where the story is neither unique nor the climax unguessable. Also, given it is about schizoprenia, the director has not made it into an educational movie, spending time telling us what it is, why it happens, how many people in India suffer/die from it!!

The other winning element is of course the most important - the hero, though a loser in life, who initially cannot get a girl, is humiliated each time by his boss, badgered by his landlord, friendless etc. He transforms into this suave, right hand man of boss; gets the sexy girl (Deepika), stands upto the landlor and exracts money from him!! Even after discovering he is schizoprenic, the movie ends on a positive note. He takes action towards becoming normal and yet retains the sexy girl.

In my experience in media research, the hero should always be what he is - a HERO! This means he should fight the villains, set the wrongs right and retain the sexy girl (that is what the male viewers aspire for). Karthik though has not completely fought the villain (in this case his alter ego), but he will one day; this is enough for the multiplex audience, who is slightly more practical. He also has the sexy girl, in the end he is shown hugging and kissing her!!! :):) Even the multiplex audience cannot concessionalize this, they are traditional in this regard!!!

Farhan is simply brilliant, as always!! :):) But then I love him!!!

Happy viewing