Katti Batti: Too much of Katti  & less of Batti makes it dull

Love Stories has a come a long way in Bollywood, from rich girl falling for poor boy or rich boy falling for a poor girl and the opposition of the respective parents, to triangle love stories and at the end love triumphs against all odds.

Well that was 80’s and 90’s or even early 2000, but love stories have changed leaps and bounds in today’s Bollywood, and Nikhil Advani tries such a love story, something which he has been successful previously, remember “Kal Ho Na Ho”…..

Nikhil Advani tries to capture the love story of a modern couple  Madhav (Imran Khan) and Payal (Kangana Ranaut) who meet in college and fall in love. Both are opposites like cheese and chalk, Payal being a high society bohemian girl and Madhav a middle class seedha sadha guy who falls head over heels for Payal. But suddenly Payal leaves him and Madhav is shattered and is hell bent to know the reason, whether they re-unite and live happily ever after well that is what the rest of the movie is all about…..

Written by Nikhil Advani himself in association with Anshul Singhal, they try to put everything which may look or sound modern like live-in relationship, the girl not being holier than thou as she had relationship prior to meeting the hero or the boozing and the partying, in a nutshell a modern urban couple. The screenplay switches from flashbacks to present day trying to put the various pieces of the love story. First half is breezy and likable and you start expecting a new age love story without any pretentions, but the screenplay suddenly takes a U-turn in the second half when emotions are forcefully put in, which is vaguely inspired by Eric Segal’s “Love Story”. But somewhere the emotion just does not connect in the stylish and glitzy love story. It remains superfluous throughout and that is the main issue of the movie. In the second half unnecessary characters are introduced, like the band that helps Madhav. You feel that the movie is going to end but suddenly a new story or twist is introduced stretching the movie. Unnecessary songs do not help either. Overall the writers fail to grab the attention of the audience for too long….

The dialogues though are peppy and funny and very modern in lingo but then as the movie becomes serious the dialogues start becoming less effective and fail to lift the screenplay.

Imran Khan comes after a long sabbatical, but brings freshness to his character Madhav and is quite likeable, though at times he looks repetitive. Kangana as Payal is almost like she reprising the role of Tannu albeit who is modern and a very elite. I feel now Kangana should look at some really strong and different roles. Rest of the casting is fresh and brings certain amount of freshness as well with their performances. In a nutshell the supporting cast is the real back bone of the movie everybody has done justice to whatever they had been given.

Tushar Kanti Ray’s camera work again creates the magic with every frame. Production Design by Subrata Chakraborty & Amit Ray brings the urban modern feel which was required for the movie. Sheetal Sharma’s costume design is cotemporary yet stylish and apt with the theme.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy after a long time give some memorable tunes, especially the “Sarfira” the peppy no. and sufi inspired “Ove Jaaniya”, both are the highlight of the album.

Nikhil Advani gets the glitz and glamour correct in the movie and tries to put some freshness with the way he has shot the movie. But where Nikhil and “Katti Batti” fail is to connect with the audience and is very low in emotional quotient.

This could have been a different love story but alas it disappoints ……I will go with 3 stars…..

Movie Rating: (3 / 5)