Director Manoj Michigan tries to do too much in his debut film. The tightrope walk of balancing gloss, glamour and masala with thought-provoking reality comes crashing down in a clumsy telefilm-like feature film of two hours.

The film spins around four urban couples and their tales of ambition, greed, hope and despair. But Hello Kolkata is not about people cheating on their spouses or the high life of self-obsessed socialites. It’s more about the contrast between the upper and lower strata of society which falls flat as the stories are not gripping.

Keeping track of who’s doing what is a headache. If Swastika (called Raima!) tries to keep the peace with her sozzled and sadistic hubby Amitabha, her sister-in-law Sreelekha broods about not being able to have a baby with her affectionate husband Sudip. Rudranil is given the soppy role of a struggling salesman who sulks his way through the film and fights with his annoying wife who has a fetish for LCD screens and jewellery. Arunima and Indrajit are joined at the hip but things aren’t as hunk-dory as they appear. Then halfway into the film, an item girl springs up from nowhere and Swastika breaks into a sad Rabindrasangeet at an anniversary bash.

And how does a film called Hello Kolkata end? Well, with all the characters strolling on the Shankarpur beach and pondering on life’s riddles. Some arrive at solutions that are as pat as pat can be.