Mumbai: After ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘MNIK’, here comes a film that is different from the typical Bollywood commercial film or a serious art movie – ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ is somewhere in between the two categories of films. Using the genre of a thriller to put across a socially relevant point and supporting it with razor sharp dialogues, director Vijay Lalwani has successfully managed to pull-off the film, which may have turned into a drab, had the director been less cautious.

Credit also goes to actor Farhan Akhtar, who has proved his mettle once again with his third film (after ‘Rock On’ and ‘Luck by Chance’). The plotline is intriguing and more than once, the film appears to be influenced by mainstream Hollywood thrillers. The story on the surface level is not very interesting but the format of the film is praiseworthy.

The character of Karthik, essayed by Farhan Akhtar, is that of a loser who is forever bullied by one and all. He is a simple, middle-class guy, who lacks confidence and does not have the courage to reveal his love to the hot architect Shonali Mukherjee (Deepika Padukone).

And then a strange phone call from another ‘Karthik’ changes his life. He knows everything about this loser and advices him on how to bring his life on track. The other ‘Karthik’ calls him everyday and eventually the loser starts gaining confidence. He becomes firm in his approach, gets his girl and excels in his job.

But again, things turn ugly after Karthik has fallout with the caller. The caller becomes an enemy and starts harming Karthik. And from here, the film takes an interesting twist that leads to unraveling the suspense about the caller.

Farhan and Deepika make a hot couple and the actress appears fresh and lovely in a short, crisp role. The songs of the film are already a hit. Supporting actors Ram Kapoor, Vivan Bhatena, Tarana, Shefali Chhaya and Vipin Sharma fit into their parts well.

Although, the film is made well it seems to be lacking somewhere. Perhaps, it is due to the reason that the high one expects from a thriller is never reached in the film. However, the film is a good watch.