Carpe Diem!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Writing movie reviews isn't one of my talents. So i'll just make do with some rambling.
I saw Kartik calling Kartik. Twice. I liked its dialogues. More than anything else, i liked Farhan Ak.'s acting. Before this movie, i never imagined he could play such a difficult role, so convincingly. (I must confess that I got goosebumps in more than one scene.)
Apart from his good acting, he looks stunning. But you'd say, 'So what? So does Deepika." All I can say in his defense is that he can act.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, then stop reading now. The things that follow may be a real spoiler in case you plan to watch it later.

An IIM topper, a south-Indian bred boy, an underdog. That's Kartik Narayan. He toils day after day in the tiny cubicles of a construction company. The girl he has written 3000 emails to, doesn't even know he exists.
Everything in his life is speeding downhill. (On a side note, how many of us have a stock of sleeping pills in our bathroom cabinets?) Anyway, so this guy decides to end his life but is interrupted by a call. A call that changes his life. (Also, the tag line of the movie).

The voice on the other end claims to be his well wisher. It talks him out of guilt of killing his bother years ago (something his therapist could not manage). It tutors him on how to 'get the girl' and it basically morphs his personality from meek to mean. Here, i'd like to point out that this transition is played brilliantly by Mr. Akh. The scene in which he strides into office, in what looks like a fine-cut Hugo Boss suit, is absolutely notable. The expressions are perfect. And so is the Farhaan Ak’s presence on screen. His new found self is oozing with self-confidence and charm. Something more suitable for a man with such qualifications. You may even start liking the person on the other end of the phone who is responsible for this pleasant change.

Well, so Kartik’s life starts to change in his favour. The girl is his. The promotion is his. But power comes with a price. His secret caller must not be revealed. When Kartik does tell his to-be wife about his secret friend, the next call from his secret friend is not so friendly. It’s a warning. It’s a declaration of destruction and downfall.

The voice of the other end has made some devious calls in the night. The next day Kartik is fired. To makes matters worse, the loving girlfriend is hurt and turns away from his. Even his bank balance is wiped out. There seems no other way but to flee. Kartik leaves for an unknown destination, blinding himself to the world around him to get rid of the mysterious caller. He lives a disconnected life, leaving Bombay and all its memories behind. And of course his telephone.

But when a stroke of fate leads him to get a new connection in his new residence in Cochin, he spends the night panicking about the return of those haunting calls. However, nothing happens.
Relieved he returns home and sleeps a sound sleep. But the calls return.
Meanwhile, back home the therapist explains to the estranged girlfriend the reason behind all this mess. Kartik is actually a schizophrenic living with a split personality disorder.

What I really liked about the second half of the film, and the first, was the sound track. It totally compliments the tone of the film. Kudos to Medival Punditz and Karsh Kale for their efforts.

The movie ends on a happy note (with the only scene of the film I didn’t think was necessary). The couple is married and we see the damsel reading a book that is titled ‘understanding schizophrenia).
Over all, my claps are for Farhaan Akh. for acting so well.
posted by phantasmagoria at 1:14 AM

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