Karthik Calling Karthik (2 DISC COLLECTORS EDITION)

I was shocked by the previous review because I loved this film. Could be differing expectations; mine were not only met but exceeded. This psychological drama set among the professional world of young, educated up-and-comers in Mumbai is one of the most "un-Bollywood" of Bollywood films I've seen, and I've seen many. Farhan Akhtar plays Karthik, a bright but painfully shy & insecure man who suffers regular abuses by his boss and is virtually invisible to all the other employees at the construction company headquarters where he works. Out of the blue he begins receiving phone calls from another "Karthik" which offer him support and advice, improving his life. He eventually becomes completely dependent on his connection to the caller, and when the calls turn dark they threaten all he has achieved.

The screenplay and directing by 31-year-old, first-time writer/director Vijay Lalwani were taut and understated, which to me is far more effective at drawing the viewer into the story than the excesses of the typical masala Hindi films. The music by Bollywood veterans Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was spot on, not showy for it's own sake but lending uncannily perfect support to the story in every scene, even down to the incidental passing scenes. Deepika Padukone is stunning as usual and her work gets better and better. She plays Shonali, Karthik's long-desired love interest, with a nice balance of vulnerability and coolness. But it's Farhan Akhtar's film, and he's a revelation here, adding the perfect comedic and dramatic touches to Karthik to steal your heart and send you on an emotional rollercoaster. At 135 minutes, it's also on the short side for Bollywood films, and as wrapped up as I was in it, it flew by.

Sharp and sophisticated, this movie has just risen to my Top Movies of All-time list. I was not expecting much since I simply bought it to see the context of it's most successful song, "Uff Teri Adaa". But from the beginning I was hooked by the clever plot line and the endearing characters, none of whom I knew from other works. I won't spoil the Hitchcock-like fun of the plot other than to say that the resolution/conclusion is not in any way contrived or a cheat (like aliens are to blame or it was just a dream). If there is any shortcoming to the conclusion is that it is too well explained. I immediately had to watch the movie again to find the subtle clues and with the director's commentary it was even more fun and entertaining. All the music is appropriate and fitting, the language clean (PG in my estimation with nothing remotely racy), and the characters sweet and charming. Cinematography is not something I typically notice, but the filming was superb. I show this movie over and over to new audiences who always love it and want to know more about it so I give it my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!!

"Karthik Calling Karthik" is a sweet and wholesome yet diabolically Hitchcockian schizophrenic love story. Not the sort of movie we Americans usually see exported from Bollywood.