Katti Batti

Ever since Imran Khan's JTYJN and Kangana's Fashion I wanted to see them on the big screen, I luv'em both a lot and they are both so talented and cute looking. For some years I was into Russian culture so I barely watched any hindi movie, until recently that I heard in dono me movie agaya hai. I was so happy, remembering Imran Khan's interview in 2010 saying he'd like to do a movie with Kangana. I checked the IMDb and was shocked by the rating but I loved them too much to not give this movie a try. Even though watching them together was a treat, Kangana looking incredibly gorrrrg and Imran looking as handsome as always, the movie was a mess. I couldn't help but fast forwarding it. I never thought I'd say this someday about a Kangana and Imran movie but, Not at all recommended!!!

Only thing I want to appreciate is the promo making team, who juiced up all the good stuff in promo that rest remained tasteless and baseless. Surprisingly first creative film making team must have thought about climax then, hurriedly and illogically started journey to find it's beginning but fails badly in it. There is nothing in name of story except pushed emotional climax, which makes you laugh instead of cry. Yes, if they have come up with good scenes then this climax could have been worked a bit but alias what could they have done with black comedy expert main male lead, which can evoke laughter in any emotional scene as it is cake walk for him. Screenplay succeeds completely to create confusing characters, irritating comedy and non relating emotional scenes. Script tries hard to give you the feeling that lead couple should be together but after few minutes you pray that they shouldn't. What is the irony of script!! Film starts with some amateur shooting video but it is most amateurish and long that you get the first bitter taste of remaining dish in few minutes only. How they break characters, in a scene they show a businessman is of tainted character but what was the need of showing him! Yes, he was the father of opponent but then why! Just because you felt the way of showing it very smart. They show taxi's both window half open and then male lead closing it. I didn't get what intelligence was behind it! Boy running behind car of girl, this shot is obsolete in today's cinema. Tortoise emotional angle is just flat, somehow you feel sympathy for tortoise but not for couple. Pre climax sequence of boat chasing in pond is most irritating. Performance wise, one can dare to cast Imran Khan if film has any emotional angle. He is as unbalanced as much he could have been. Kangana Ranaut looks complete reluctant. She is very average with a peculiar hair style. #MithilaParkar as Komal, younger sister is very good. She is completely balanced. Music by Shankar Ehassan Loy have tracks "Lip To Lip De Kissiyan" , Sau Aansu Roye Do Ankhiyan" and " Ishaq Da Rutba", which are good.

Love stories often don't work when the people involved in them are ignorant as heck. Katti Batti tries to literally adapt one such story and on the way goes on to define absurdity. Most words and phrases used in this review are selected from the film's idiotic dialogs so that you get a better idea as to what to expect.

For most of the part, a peppy, hip girl named Payal (Ranaut) who is a wandering rebel born to Page 3 celebrities who decided to go all the way on the backseat of a car during a drunken brawl, and who has more than 2500 friends on Facebook is brutally skirt-chased by a baby- faced Maddy (Khan) who makes pursuing architecture look like a short week of R&R, who has just about 500 friends on Facebook including 350 fake profiles that he does't know about, and who has an annoying sister. There is no conviction in the story as it adopts a fair non-linear screenplay. An introduction to the so-called quirky characters using a hand-held shot sequence is all there is to relish in the first half.

The screenplay looks like it has been stitched together using a defunct sewing machine by a one-legged tailor with retina inflammation. There is humor if you look for it, but the slapstick is so bad my senses now have finally learned to smile at Kapil Sharma's jokes.

Love is fine, relationships are fine, even breakups are fine, but you don't want to shell out money to watch grown ups behave like kids, now do you? One should blame the dodgy story for its construction and unbelievability factor for all we see is a mopey boyfriend and a courageous girlfriend who does not like being called a girlfriend. So lets call her a girlfriend just to annoy her.

Ranaut is an active participant in the drama while her co-actor is just a bystander. Since you all have given her the license, she overacts a bit too much in the sequences that required silence. All other characters are running behind our male protag so that he can forget about this "girlfriend" who dumped him without a reason. And the reason for the breakup is stupid, considering we are in 2015, when you know it.

All said and done, the film is surely high on creativity, but is highly low on cake on which this creativity should have been the icing.

BOTTOM LINE: With a turtle called Milkha (the irony!), Nikhil Advani's Katti Batti is what you get when you take relationships too seriously and literally and make a film about it. Wait for DVD; but buy only when its price goes down to INR 49 on Amazon. And why not use the Mobikwik cashback offer on it?

Grade: D-

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Imagine the horror of going to a movie first day first show and getting utterly disappointed with the flick. Yes, katti batti is bad; no the correct word would be 'bore', its a big bore of a movie. The movie switches back into past and present showing a crazy complicated and a tragic love story on the screen and here off the screen i was having a big problem understanding what is happening. The narrative is so shabby and moves in so many different directions that i got intertwined understanding what the director wants us to show. Kangna Ranaut was the one selling point of the movie and she is grossly underused, so there goes your trump card down the drain Mr Nikhil Advani.

The last 15 mins of the movie is were the movie shows its potential as it is heartwarming and sad and might leave a few tears trickling down your cheeks. Music by Shankar Ehsaan and Loy is just top notch and every song stays with you. Special mention to the picturization of lip to lip song as it is very nicely and creatively done. Sadly, only these few things won't save this movie. I wouldn't recommend watching this movie but if you have nothing to do this weekend you can very well watch this movie once.

Inspired by the Hollywood Cult Classic 500 Days of Summer, 'Katti Batti' tries hard to adapt the soul of its inspiration, but what is eventually served is a merely average film. Though the idea is great, the execution is uneven!

'Katti Batti' is a romantic comedy that follows Maddy (Imran Khan) and Payal's (Kangana Ranaut) live-in relationship until a sudden turn of events creates a distance between them.

'Katti Batti' has a lively first-hour, where some sequences bring a smile on your face. Its a bit interesting to see the heartbroken protagonist struggle to find his love back & the flashbacks on how the boy & girl met, have a niceness to it. Its the second-hour that fails. The narrative loses energy & the pace drops drastically. Also, the emotional manipulation in the final-act, doesn't work. In short, the first-hour works, but the second-hour spoils the fun.

Anshul Singhal's Screenplay is decent, but only in parts. The second-hour needed to be better! Nikhil Advani's Direction is ordinary. Cinematography is fine. Editing is average. Art & Costume Design are perfect. Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is melodious.

Performance-Wise: Imran Khan puts up a sincere act as the heartbroken lover-boy, although he impresses only in some scenes. Kangana Ranaut is monotonous. A stereotypical act!

On the whole, 'Katti Batti' works in bits, not entirely.