There's really no steady progression, just staccato sequences where Karthik [Farhan Akhtar] and Shonali [Deepika Padukone] go from happy to fractious within nanoseconds.

Akhtar's little-boy-lost vulnerable charm holds it all together.

This romantic mystery-drama -- centered on an office nerd whose life is transformed by a series of phone calls from, uh, himself -- is thinly plotted, but surfs on the likable chemistry between Akhtar and co-lead Deepika Padukone.

The feat of winding a love-story around a mysterious telephone call for more than two hours is no easy task, but the debutante director Ritesh Sidhwani manages to engage.