*This article contains spoilers. If you haven't watched the film yet, please come back to the story later.*
What happens when a few popular Hollywood romantic-comedy elements meet Bollywood? 'Katti Batti' is a classic example of all the right things blended together in right amount with perfect build up, goodmusic, right casting but still a disappointing outcome. You are left feeling cheated by the end.
Throughout the promotion of the film, the makers as well as the actors were speaking about how this is not just a love story, it has suspense, infact they categorised the film into romantic-thriller genre, giving an anti-love story vibe. Why did they do so is the real mystery. The film is a regular love story with a very emotional climax and ending with only tit-bits of humour every now and then. Watching 'Katti Batti' is like reading a Nicholas Sparks novel through Bollywood tinted glasses.
The film is a coming of age romance of two youngsters who have no care in the world, supportive parents, urban lifestyle and a love story one can connect to. An average guy falls head over heels for a pretty, rich and 'non-committable' girl- after few hiccups their lovestory hits the highway and everything seems perfect. Then, after few years of living together, tensions mount up and they break-up, leaving the guy into the state of panic and depression. This is the basic gist of the story that has been treated in a 'cut to past and present' sequence that makes it interesting and worth watching. The entire film has been shot from the perspective of Madhav (Imran Khan), with Payal (Kangana Ranaut) appearing as an image of how he saw her. Till the climax of the film, you perceive Payal to be a non committed urban girl who has forgotten Madhav and has moved on in life. The real 'suspense' is when you get to know her side of the story and this is where the downhill for the story starts.
Imran Khan is coming back on screen after ages, his Madhav is a grown up Jai Singh Rathore (Imran's character in his debut film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na). He's adorable, heartbroken and you can clearly make out that he has taken inspiration from Joseph Gordon-Levitt of '500 Days of Summer'. Imran has tried and given his all, but still somewhat misses to strike the right chord. You feel bad for Madhav, but you don't cry with or for him. Kangana, on the other hand, shines only in some parts. If you are going in for the movie in order to see a more urban 'Tanu' you are going to be disappointed. She fails to make a mark, looks pretty but acts averagely. In the climax sequence her eyes do the talking and that is the only time you feel that yes, Payal was also the part of the film.
(To be honest, more than the lead characters, the tortoise in the film (Milkha Singh) lingers in your mind much after the film finishes!)
The build up till the climax is good, you want something to happen and know what Payal has to say. You want her to clarify the situation and either have a happy or a sad ending, but what you get instead is disappointment. Keep your high, thrilling- suspence, 'Vertigo' sorts expectation at the back, and go for an average rom-com experience.
As for the makers, we still need to ask them, where is the suspense they were boasting off so much? What is 'so new' in the film apart from the treatment which well is heavily borrowed from the west. And why were they naming it 'Saali Kutiya' earlier?
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