Karthik Calling Karthik – the Story of a Man and his Subconscious Self

Is Karthik Calling Karthik all about a psychological issue? Does the movie depict a split personality? Or is it a psychology thriller? These were the questions that kept a hold of my hand until the movie reached its end and reveal the personality problem of the protagonist, Karthik played by Farhan Akhtar.

The movie starts with Karthik who is introvert and shy by nature. Karthik possesses academic excellence but he is not aware of his potentiality. He is miserable at his mediocre job at a builder’s company, but he deserves more than the Mickey Mouse role. He is a butt of ridicule for his colleagues. He is even treated like dirt by his boss played by Ram Kapoor. Karthik secretly admires Sonali, his colleague. But, Sonali played by Deepika Padukone is little aware of his existence in the office. In brief, he is a loser from all sides. To say more precisely, Karthik is the J. Alfred Prufrock, a literary character by T.S. Eliot.

One night, suddenly, the phone rings and Karthik gets a call from someone he had never imagined to talk to. The person on the other side introduces himself as Karthik and claims to be his wellwisher. The man on the phone makes Karthik realize his potential, rouses his spirit and stirs his confidence. The night leads to a new sunny and bright morning in his life and Karthik turns over a new leaf. He begins to receive the same named man’s calls at the wee hours. The other Karthik becomes his guide, his friend, guardian and his mentor. Karthik speaking to the man having the same voice took me aback. I kept sitting on to watch the rolling of the wheel till the end.

Under the guidance of the other Karthik, Karthik comes out of the cocoon. He improves his body language, changes the course of his life, gets his due at workplace and wins the love of his much admired lady, Sonali. But, all this is a nine days’ wonder. The other Karthik is nothing but a manifestation of his subconscious mind. The story comes to a round when his mentor becomes hell-bent to pick his happiness into pieces and he is pushed into the previous shell once again. Karthik takes an escape from his inner self without knowing this fact to Cochin where he takes up a job and begins to live in alienation.

Karthik Calling Karthik is a combo of a love story and a suspense fare. The air of suspense is sure to hang over the audience from cover to cover. The story takes a dive into the deep of suspense when Karthik’s life turns upside down. Moreover, what kept me glued to the screen is the chemistry between Deepika and Farhan. Two numbers from the movie’s music album with modern tonality promise to swing the heads. Karthik is the second best performance from Farhan next to his debuted role in Rock On. The story of a person affected by personality disorder and his flow with up and down waves of life is meticulously narrated on celluloid by debutante director Vijay Lalwani.

Have you ever got a call from someone having the same name and same voice as yours?