A close call

So last night, Viv, Pizzadude and I watched ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’. Initially, I had shown absolutely no interest in the movie in spite of my love for Farhan Akhtar (as a director mostly) because I really really can’t stand Deepika (especially when she opens her mouth to speak) and when I saw her say, “I toh can’t even imagine...” in the KCK trailer, I just wanted to throw my shoe at her.

However, Viv and I were both going to be working late and decided to go for a late show. Pizzadude had earlier asked me if I wanted to go and I’d declined, so I thought I’d do a quick check if he wanted to catch a late show too. Turns out he was in the gym (Shabash puttar, naam roshan kar ditta!) and could join us. I’d already bought tickets, but he managed to book a seat next to us (yes, that’s how empty the theatre was. Sad.)

Random thoughts after watching the movie (spoilers ahead)...

• In spite of the reviews I had read and heard, I must say I really liked the movie. Though it was not a thriller in the true sense; I always knew the 'who', but it was the 'how' that kept me glued. Hadn't figured that the phone instrument would be so, er, instrumental in the plot. (Viv claims he knew everything from the start. Hmph!)
  
  
• The rediff review asks, "Why does he hint out the suspense so early in the film?" I kind of agree, but I don't see another way in which it could have been handled as delicately without making the audience go, "Humko bewakoof samjha hai? Naalaayak!" or "This was suspense? Nonsense!" I guess they went for the more straightforward, no-pretence approach.
  
  
• The first half was rather tame, though Karthik's transformation was somewhat fun to watch. But towards the second half, the movie got really chilling.
  
  
• The length of the movie was just right. The intermission was at a perfect point too, making me go, "WHAT?! NOW?! NOOOOO! COME BACK!!"
  
  
• Okay, Deepika wasn't THAT irritating, which was a relief.
  
  
• Loved Deepika's office outfits.
  
  
• Good music. I especially like the title song where the girl says rather eerily, 'Karthik... Karthik calling Karthik'.
  
  
• The background score was even better. Especially the scenes with the phone calls where the music imitated his (and sometimes the audience's) rapidly escalating heartbeat.
  
  
• Thank goodness Farhan decided not to sing in this one. After 'Croak On', I really don't want to listen to him ruining perfectly good songs.
  
  
• When I first read about the movie, I looked at how they had spelt ‘Karthik’ (with an 'h') and kept wondering why they would make Farhan play a South Indian, and how much he could and would screw it up. (I think I can safely say that the only non-South-Indian actor in the history of cinema who has successfully played a South Indian is Konkona Sen Sharma in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Iyer’.) Luckily his being Karthik instead of Kartik had no significance in the movie. (Viv is still arguing with me about how I can assume he was a South Indian just because of how his name was spelt. Sheesh. Karthik Narayan. Come on, dude!)
  
  
• Totally loved the part where he's trying to escape from himself by going 'blind'.
  
  
• I thought his landlord was the Ghajini fella and I was like, "Dude, how much weight have you lost?" Turns out this is a different guy (the dad in Taare Zameen Par). And I'm not the only one who got confused.
  
  
• Farhan is an exact copy of his dad. There's a scene of him sleeping where he looks EXACTLY like Javed Akhtar.
  
  
• I thought 'the other dude has a wife' was such a lame and convenient excuse for Karthik to get the girl, but figured later why it had to be that way.
  
  
• Looks like apna Kamesh Mahadevan will never grow old. He stills looks the same as he did in Munnabhai MBBS and Shanti. Pity he changed his name from 'Yatin' to 'Yateen Karyekar', sounding dangerously close to 'Yateem'. Bet his parents weren't too happy about that.
  
  
• Speaking of changing spelling, 'Shifaali Chhaya'? Why? Why? Why?
  
  
• Karthik buying the second phone in the same brand made me wonder why on earth he did that, but it sure added to the creepy darkness of the movie.
  
  
• Farhan does all right in most scenes, and excelling in some. Rock On had been a poor copy of Dil Chahta Hai, but he has redeemed himself with this one, both in terms of the uniqueness of the movie and his acting. I just hope this movie is not a copy, please please?
  
  
• The movie was quite scary in parts. I actually had tears of fear (yes, there IS such a thing!) in my eyes when the phone kept ringing even after he had unhooked it, when the doorbell rang, and when Dr. Kapadia picked up the phone. Brrrr....
  
  
• The movie will keep you thinking the next day, and every now and then you'll go, "Ohhhh that's why!!"
  
  
• Whatever said and done, Farhan's role could have been done by anyone. Would have been nice to see Ranbir in this. Then Deepika would have refused to be in the movie and we'd have had someone better. Muahaha!
  
  
• Good work, Farhan. But seriously, we really need you to get back to directing. That is what you do best.