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, with Ram Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Vivan Bhatena, and Vipin Sharma in supporting roles. The film's music was composed by ShankarâÂÂEhsaanâÂÂLoy, while the background score was composed by MIDIval Punditz and Karsh Kale.
Karthik Calling Karthik was released on 26 February 2010, and received positive reviews from critics.
Karthik Narayan, a shy and insecure man working at a construction company in Mumbai, struggles with low self-confidence and unresolved childhood trauma. He secretly loves his coworker Shonali Mukherjee, but she barely notices him. Karthik is also undergoing treatment with psychiatrist Dr. Shweta Kapadia because he believes he is responsible for the death of his older brother, Kumar, who died after accidentally falling into a well during a childhood incident.
After being publicly humiliated and fired by his boss, Mr. Kamath, Karthik falls into deep depression and decides to commit suicide. Just before doing so, he receives a mysterious phone call from someone who sounds exactly like him and claims to be another âÂÂKarthik.â The caller promises to guide him and begins calling every day at 5:00 a.m., offering advice that gradually transforms KarthikâÂÂs life. Following the callerâÂÂs instructions, Karthik gains confidence, confronts his boss and becomes a manager, overcomes his guilt, and eventually wins ShonaliâÂÂs love.
However, the caller warns Karthik never to reveal the calls to anyone. When Karthik eventually tells Shonali and Dr. Kapadia, the caller becomes hostile and begins sabotaging his life. Misunderstandings lead to Karthik losing his job again, Shonali leaving him, and his finances collapsing. Believing the caller is responsible, Karthik flees to Kochi and refuses to have a telephone in order to escape him.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kapadia reveals the truth to Shonali: Karthik suffers from schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder. The brother he remembers never existed, and the mysterious caller is actually KarthikâÂÂs own alter ego. Each night, he unknowingly records voice messages for himself on his telephone and schedules them to play at 5:00 a.m., believing they are real calls when he wakes up.
When Karthik unknowingly records a threatening message to himself, he becomes so disturbed that he attempts suicide again. Shonali arrives in time to save him, and together with Dr. Kapadia, helps him begin treatment and recovery. Karthik eventually starts rebuilding his life as he learns to cope with his condition.
In an effort to prepare for his role as the introvert loner Karthik, Farhan Akhtar isolated himself at home and turned off his phone. He also learned to solve the Rubik's Cube, an activity which his character completes in only one try.
The film received positive reviews from critics.
Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India rated the film 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. 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. Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "This oneâÂÂs clearly not a formula film. It isnâÂÂt merely suspense for most parts either. ItâÂÂs the kind of thriller that practically every Bollywood B, or big budget, genre flick aspires for." 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". Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 2.5 out of 5, calling it "a decent product with an unconvincing conclusion". 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".
The soundtrack of the film is composed by ShankarâÂÂEhsaanâÂÂLoy with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar. The soundtrack album was released on 20 February 2010.
Though the album did not get favorable critical reviews, the track "Uff Teri Adaa" created waves and topped the charts numerous times in the following months. 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.
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.