Karthik Calling Karthik
| Karthik Calling Karthik | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vijay Lalwani |
| Written by | Vijay Lalwani |
| Produced by | Farhan Akhtar Ritesh Sidhwani |
| Starring | Farhan Akhtar Deepika Padukone Vivan Bhatena Ram Kapoor Shefali Shah Vipin Sharma |
| Cinematography | Sanu Varghese |
| Edited by | Aarti Bajaj |
| Music by | Original Songs: Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy Background Score: MIDIval Punditz Karsh Kale |
Production companies | Magic Beans Films Excel Entertainment |
| Distributed by | AA Films Eros International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 135 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Karthik Calling Karthik is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language psychological thriller film, written and directed by Vijay Lalwani and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under the banner of Excel Entertainment. The film stars Akhtar and Deepika Padukone. Ram Kapoor, Vivan Bhatena, Vipin Sharma and Shefali Shah play supporting roles in the film. The film's music was composed by the trio of Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, while the background score was composed by MIDIval Punditz and Karsh Kale.
Plot
[edit]Karthik Narayan (Farhan Akhtar) is an introvert who lacks self-confidence, and feels trapped in his average and probably underpaid job at a construction company owned by Mr. Kamath (Ram Kapoor) in Mumbai. He is undergoing medical treatment from a pyschiatrist, Dr. Shweta Kapadia (Shefali Shah), for being continuously troubled by an incident from his childhood: Karthik's older brother, Kumar, used to always torture him, but whenever he complained to his parents, they refused to believe him. One day, Kumar took Karthik to a well and attempted to throw him inside it, but Karthik managed to escape, while Kumar accidentally fell inside the well and died. Karthik has been blaming himself for his brother's death ever since. Shonali Mukherjee (Deepika Padukone) is a co-worker at Karthik's company, whom Karthik secretly loves though she remains unaware of his existence, much less his feelings.
The day after Karthik purchases a new telephone as his landline, Mr. Kamath ruthlessly berates him in front of all his colleagues and fires him from his job due to a petty misunderstanding. As a result, Karthik becomes depressed, isolates himself in his house for several days, and eventually figures out that his life cannot become any worse and decides to commit suicide. However, just as he is about to do so, Karthik receives a phone call on his landline from a mysterious caller, who has the same, exact voice as his and states that he himself is also "Karthik", and convinces him that he has the ability to change his life. These phone calls become Karthik's life guide and their phonic conversations take place daily at 5:00 am sharp. The mysterious caller provides advice on all the problems of Karthik, successfully guiding him to get freed from his guilt of killing Kumar, confront Mr. Kamath and gain the job of a manager in his company, win Shonali's heart, and bring colour to his otherwise dull life.
However, things take a drastic turn when Karthik informs both Shonali and Dr. Kapadia about the phone calls, despite being strictly warned not to do so by the mysterious caller. As a result, the mysterious caller turns furious and threatens Karthik that if he could bring him up, he could also bring him down. As per his word, things begin going downhill. Mr. Kamath fires him from his new job as well, a heartbroken Shonali dumps him, and Karthik ends up with zero bank balance, all due to misunderstandings deliberately created by the mysterious caller. Unable to bear it anymore, Karthik decides that if he escapes somewhere he does not know, then the mysterious caller would not know where he is either. He sells all his valuables, travels by a train to an unknown city in Kerala, seeks refuge in a small hotel, and asks the receptionist to remove the telephone as well as room number plate from his room.
After a few months, Karthik is comfortably residing in Cochin with a decent new job. His life is back to normal except for the fact that he refuses to have a phone line. However, he is forced to purchase a landline on the request of his new employer (Yatin Karyekar). This time, Karthik purchases the same telephone he used to receive the phone calls on, and goes to great lengths to ensure that he himself is unaware of the phone number. Meanwhile, Dr. Kapadia meets with Shonali in Mumbai and reveals the shocking plot twist: Karthik is actually the patient of schizophrenia as well a multiple personality disorder, two mental disorders characterised by abnormal social behaviour and failure to understand reality. He has been suffering from this condition since a very young age, when he made up an imaginary older brother named Kumar (which is why his parents never believed him).
Moreover, the mysterious caller was none other than Karthik himself as he exhibits an alter ego that is more assertive and advises him on how to live life. Karthik's telephone has the unique feature to record voice messages and replay them at a scheduled time. Karthik would wake up in the middle of each night, record voice messages for himself as his alter ego, and return to sleep, only to awake once again at 5:00 am to receive his own "phone calls". After learning this, Shonali realises that Karthik's life might be in danger and immediately leaves for Cochin to save him. Elsewhere, Karthik leaves himself a new voice message as his alter ago, in which the "caller" states that he has tracked Karthik down to Cochin and threatens to kill him. After receiving the voice message, Karthik becomes so disturbed that he attempts suicide by drug overdose again. However, Shonali arrives at the right time to save him, and they reconcile with she deciding to help him with his condition. After a few days, Karthik is apparently in the process of dealing with his disorder and lives a happy and rehabilitated life with both Shonali and Dr. Kapadia by his side.
Cast
[edit]- Farhan Akhtar as Karthik "Cheeku" Narayan
- Deepika Padukone as Shonali Mukharjee
- Ram Kapoor as Kamath Sir
- Shefali Shah as Dr. Shweta Kapadia
- Vivan Bhatena as Ashish
- Vipin Sharma as Landlord
- Tarana Raja as Neelu Didi, Karthik's cousin sister
- Vinay Jain as Siddharth "Sid", Neelu's husband
- Yatin Karyekar as Boss at Blue Draft Courier
- Swapnel Desai as Kumar Narayan, Karthik's brother
- Zafar as Mr. Narayan, Karthik's father
- Prachi as Mrs. Narayan, Karthik's mother
- Vidyadhar Karmakar as Old Man at Ticket Collecting Counter
- Brijendra Kala as Staff at Telephone Exchange
Production
[edit]In an effort to prepare for his role as the introvert loner Karthik, Farhan Akhtar isolated himself at home and turned off his phone.[1] He also learned to solve the Rubik's Cube, an activity which his character completes in only one try.[2]
Reception
[edit]Critical reception
[edit]The film received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[3] Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India rated the movie 3.5/5 stars, calling it "immensely watchable, purely for the class act by Farhan Akhtar in the title role" and recommending it to those who are in the mood for serious cinema.[4] Shweta Parande of News18 gave a rating of 3.5 out of 5, applauding the cast and crew for their performances and their efforts on building up the story as a team.[5] Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "This one’s clearly not a formula film. It isn’t merely suspense for most parts either. It’s the kind of thriller that practically every Bollywood B, or big budget, genre flick aspires for."[6] Anupama Chopra of NDTV gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "it isn't a bad film, but it isn't very good either".[7] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 2.5 out of 5, calling it "a decent product with an unconvincing conclusion".[8] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave the film a 2.5/5 rating, praising Farhan Akhtar for his versatility, while simultaneously criticizing Deepika Padukone for not being able to "hold a single scene on her own".[9]
Soundtrack
[edit]| Karthik Calling Karthik | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | January 2010 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Label | T-Series | |||
| Producer | Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani | |||
| Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Planet Bollywood |   [10] |
| Glamsham |  [11] |
| Starboxoffice | [12] |
| Yahoo! Movies | [13] |
| Music Aloud | [14] |
The soundtrack of the film is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar. The album was released on 20 February 2010.[15]
Though the album did not get favorable critical reviews, the track "Uff Teri Adaa" created waves[16] and topped the charts numerous times in the following months.[17] At the box office, the music had an impact in the opening of the film, as it got a bigger opening than its competitor Teen Patti.[18]
Before the album got released, an online copy was leaked onto the Internet. Farhan Akhtar confirmed this and requested people to not download it illegally.[19]
Track listing
[edit]| Track # | Song | Singer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hey Ya!" | Clinton Cerejo, Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa | 4:17 |
| 2 | "Uff Teri Adaa" | Shankar Mahadevan, Alyssa Mendonsa | 5:06 |
| 3 | "Jaane Ye Kya Hua" | KK | 4:10 |
| 4 | "Kaisi Hai Yeh Udaasi" | Kailash Kher, Sukanya Purayastha | 6:07 |
| 5 | "Karthik Calling Karthik" | Suraj Jagan, Caralisa Monteiro, Malika Singh | 3:11 |
| 6 | "Karthik 2.0" | MIDIval Punditz, Karsh Kale | 4:15 |
| 7 | "Karthik Calling Karthik" (Theme Remix) | Suraj Jagan, Shankar Mahadevan, Caralisa Monteiro, Malika Singh (Remixed by MIDIval Punditz & Karsh Kale) | 3:11 |
| 8 | "Hey Ya!" (Remix) | Clinton Cerejo, Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa (Remixed by Digital Boyz) | 5:17 |
| 9 | "Uff Teri Adaa" (Remix) | Alyssa Mendonsa, Shankar Mahadevan (Remixed by Udyan Sagar of Nucleya) | 4:06 |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Nominated[20]
- Best Male Playback Singer – Shankar Mahadevan
- 17th Screen Awards
Nominated[21]
- Best Music Director – Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
- 14th Zee Cine Awards
Nominated[22]
- Best Music Director – Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Nominated[23]
- Male Vocalist of The Year – Shankar Mahadevan for "Uff Teri Adaa"
- Upcoming Female Vocalist of The Year – Sukanya Purayastha for "Kaisi Hai Yeh Udaasi"
- Best Song Recording – Abhay Rumde, Sameeer Khan, Kim Koshie, Chinmay Harshe and Vijay Benegal for "Uff Teri Adaa"
References
[edit]- ^ Jha, Subhash (12 June 2009). "Film makes loner out of Farhan Akhtar". Indian Star. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ Shah, Kunal M. (12 June 2009). "Farhan's obsessed about Rubik's cube". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "Karthik Calling Karthik". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (25 February 2010). "Karthik Calling Karthik". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ Parande, Shweta (28 May 2010). "First Cut: 'Karthik Calling Karthik' is touching". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ^ Shekhar, Mayank (27 February 2010). "Mayank Shekhar's Review: Karthik Calling Karthik". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ Chopra, Anupama (7 March 2014). "Anupama's review: Karthik Calling Karthik". NDTV. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran (26 February 2010). "Karthik Calling Karthik Review - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ Verma, Sukanya (25 February 2010). "Lots of static!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "Karthik Calling Karthik - music review by Amanda Sodhi". Planet Bollywood. 16 January 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ "Karthik Calling Karthik music review". glamsham.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ "MUSIC REVIEW: Karthik Calling Karthik -STAR Box Office – News". Starboxoffice.com. 18 January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ "Karthik Calling Karthik". Archived from the original on 2 March 2010.
- ^ Naveen (23 January 2010). "Karthik Calling Karthik - Music Review". Music Aloud. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ "Music Launch Of 'Karthik Calling Karthik". Bollywood Hungama. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010.
- ^ "Who is to shake My Name is Khan?". 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Radio Mirchi Top 20 - March 08-March 14 2010". Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "KCK vs Teen Patti". Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Twitter / Farhan Akhtar: Heard that KCK music is al". Twitter.com. 17 January 2010. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ "Nominations for IIFA Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ "Nominations for Star Screen Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ "Nominations for Zee Cine Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ "Nominees - Mirchi Music Award Hindi 2010". 30 January 2011. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
