Katti Batti movie review: Only if it had been promoted that way!

If you go thinking that Kangana Ranaut and Imran Khan starrer 'Katti Batti' is something on the lines of a fresh, peppy urbane love story, then you will be taken for a toss. Filmmaker Nikhil Advani seems to have used his 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' formula this time with these two stars but with a bit of twist.

Kangana (Payal) is a chic, bindaas girl who studies to become an architect and by chance happens to meet Imran Khan (Madhav Kabra aka Maddy) in the college (yes like all the regular guys meet gals). There is something with the name Maddy, remember 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'? But, never mind this one is completely on a different roll.

So, when these two meet, what happens? Love story kicks off, what else! The storyline moves forward with Payal and Maddy moving-in together in Mumbai and that's how their lives unfold. But wait! The pattern used by director Nikhil Advani in the movie is not linear. We get to see the narrative in flashbacks and non-linear pattern—which was apt for this kind of storyline.

With so many jumps in the story, sometimes it gets difficult to place your puzzle blocks in a line together. But, camera work by Tushar Kanti Ray needs a mention here, as no matter how many jerks we get in the script, the camera moves without any. Also, music by veteran trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy is different and hits the right chord. Especially, Bollywood's first stop motion song 'Lip To Lip De Kissiyan' is beautifully presented with lots of colour—so typical of Nikhil Advani films.

Now, coming back to the story and characters. Okay, so Maddy is madly, deeply and honestly in love with Payal. But is she? Well, for that you need to watch this flick. He does what guys in love while in college usually do but in a little bit of over-the-top Bollywoodish style. So, when Payal leaves him one fine day, he goes bonkers and tries everything he can possibly to get her back. We have seen that a couple of times and yes all love stories have left us with the same expression after the climax.

But, here comes the twist. You wouldn't possibly imagine that Nikhil Advani will add something like this in a Kangana-Imran love story. An emotional twist takes you by surprise and yes makes you forget all that happened in the start.

Well, Kangana as usual is at her best, only if we could see more of her antics as a young, rebellious Payal on-screen. It is rather Imran's journey of finding true love while combating all the odds. He is back after long and this film might help him get his career back on track.

Watch it for you might want to see some 'Katti Batti' moments this weekend. Be prepared for the unexpected!