Katti Batti

Director: Nikhil Advani
Writers: Nikhil Advani, Anshul Singhal
Stars: Imran Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Vivan Bhatena
Strength: Imran Khan's acting 
Weakness: Haphazard plot
Runtime: 135 minutes
Rating: 2/5

Plot: A romantic comedy that follows Maddy and Payal's live-in relationship until a sudden turn of events creates a distance between them.

Review: The narrative of the protagonist Madhav Kabra (Maddy), played by Imran Khan, runs through the entire length of film. The plot begins with inexplicably-obtained footage which reveals that Maddy was once in a live-in relationship with Payal Malhotra, played by Kangana Ranaut. And suddenly we are taken to an emergency ward of a hospital where the doctors and Maddy's friends are trying to revive him after an alleged suicide attempt. After Maddy is successfully revived, we learn that he drank phenyl by accident. What follows is Maddy's pursuit to convince his love to be friends with him once again. 

As far as performances are concerned, the film is Imran Khan's canvas. His is the only character that is well-etched. Imran is honest, charming and expressively convincing. You like him when he woos his girlfriend, admire him when he sticks to his guns and hate him when he is boorish and callous. On the other hand, Kangana's Payal Malhotra comes from a broken family and is an extension of the various roles that we have seen the actress perform in her earlier films. She brings nothing new to the table, except for confidently carrying herself off with a plethora of outlandish wigs in the staid role.

Overall, Katti Batti is supposed to be a romantic comedy involving a die-hard romantic and a commitment-phobic girl, at least that's what the trailers promised. But what you get is an excess of emotional trajectories offered in a non-linear, confusing and obscure manner. Overall, the tragedy of Katti Batti lies in the fault of its director.

Reviewed by Intisab Shahriyar