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BizAsia Movie Review: ‘Katti Batti’

‘Katti Batti’ is the second Nikhil Advani directorial to hit the big screens this month after ‘Hero’. Both films are of different sentiments and the former has been grabbing attention more because of lead actress Kangna Ranaut’s interesting quotes during the promotions of the film. She is paired with Imran Khan for the first time, an actor who is making a comeback after two years away from Bollywood. The overall feel is of a chick flick but it seems this one promised a little more than just that. Is that little extra quite as essential and as full of impact as it should be to make this one a success for all involved?

Katti Batti 2

When Maddy (Khan) spots Payal (Ranaut) at his college, he almost instantly falls in love with her. He tries to convince her in many ways to get into a relationship but it seems she is only wanting something casual. Eventually they decide to move in together, with Payal rejecting an offer to work in Paris to be able to do so. However, after five years together, they split up but Maddy is determined to get his love back. He does all he can to try and find her but it seems there’s a reason why she doesn’t want to be found.

There was something quite unusual about the Khan and Ranaut jodi from the start even though it was hard to pinpoint. Fresh and new they are but it seems their chemistry on-screen lacks somewhat for this kind of primarily light-hearted film. Advani has tried his best to create a film which tells a heart-touching story but it seems a lot of time is wasted in creating the scene – over half of the movie, to be frank. When the actual story kicks in, it feels a little rushed and fails to have the impact it should have. It has to also be said that the film’s pace is relatively decent but what comes across as a bit of a let-down is the way in which the story is unveiled. The order of unraveling comes with Khan’s character forever delving into his memory of the past relationship and then snapping out of it into the present. This isn’t as confusing as it could have been but it seems to make the story feel muddled up. Advani has done is best and certain scenes are particularly effective – unfortunately, they do not outdo what is “wrong” overall.

Khan’s performance, after a two year gap from Bollywood, is quite decent in all honesty. Initially, it comes across as if the audiences will be familiar with his character because he’s played similar before. However, as the story continues, it’s evident that Maddy is very different to what we may have seen Khan play previously. The strength of his acting comes towards the end, but once again, the plot itself falls short and he is not seen living upto his potential in the scenes which could have been a turnaround for the whole film. Ranaut is, as expected, a natural as Payal. Her new avatar does well in indicating that this is a film which is fresh and should not therefore be compared with her recent hits such as ‘Queen’ (2014) or ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ (2015). Having said this, it is disappointing that the ending of the film didn’t see more moving scenes which would have made for a better performance from Ranaut too. It is pretty disappointing to sit through a film which seems to take forever to actually get started and then finishes relatively quickly. The real reason for Payal’s disappearance is also quite abrupt and this makes the story a less believable too.

The soundtrack of the film isn’t as effective as it could have been. Lip to lip de kissiyaan is a very catchy number and shot in a new way. Apart from this, Sarfira and also O ve Janiya are good tracks. None of these are good enough to be etched in memory as standout of the year so it’s safe to say they’ll probably be forgotten quite easily, sadly.

Katti Batti - Lip to Lip De Kissiyaan

Unfortunately, the roles essayed by both Khan and Ranaut aren’t really as exclusive to them as one would like. Ranaut’s standard set by her last performances have meant that the audiences will always expect a certain level of acting from her and a certain level of cinema – ‘Katti Batti’ is therefore a disappointment. ��Khan does well to cement his performance and is strong enough to be able to hold the film together, albeit with many cliches and cringeworthy aspects to the story and his character along the way. It would be advisable to give this movie a miss if you’re looking for a film that makes you smile throughout or make you fall in love. However, if you want to see an almost sturdy performance by Khan then you might want to make that trip to the cinema.

BizAsia Showbiz Rating: 2/5