Kahaani (2012)

English translation: Story
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Story: Ritesh Shah, Sutapa Sikdar, Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee ,Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Music: Clinton Cerejo
Time: 122 minutes
Bottom-line: A new, interesting type of thriller... enjoyable all the way

In recent times, for once, a Hindi film that is categorised as a thriller, actually is one! Following No One Killed Jessica and The Dirty Picture, Vidya Balan stars in yet another “woman-centric” film, Kahaani. Taking place in the city of Kolkata, the film tells the story of a pregnant woman in search of her husband. Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui play the supporting roles.

2008, Kolkata: A poison gas attack kills several people in one compartment of the underground metro.
2010, Kolkata: In the festive season of Durga Puja, Vidya Bagchi (Balan), a pregnant woman, lands at the Kolkata airport, from London. She goes straight to the police station, introducing herself as a software engineer. She says her husband, Arnab, is missing. With the help of another friendly inspector, Rana (Chatterjee), she goes around, investigating in all the places her husband had been in. She comes to know that her husband resembles a certain Milan Damji, whose very name becomes responsible for the news of Vidya reaching the Intelligence Bureau. Soon, two other people become involved: IB officer A. Khan (Siddiqui), and an undercover assassin, Bob Biswas. When there is festivity all around, what does one woman do to uncover the truth about her husband, who (as the story progresses) seems to be nothing more than a kahaani?

Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi

The way the script has been written and the way the film has been shot are such that all the events seem to be very realistic. Kahaani made use of a technique called guerrilla film-making. Basically it means that the crew used the locations in the city instead of sets, and they took quick shots without warning or obtaining permission to shoot. In this way the film portrays the culture and tradition of Bengalis (during Durga Puja) without taking too much time.

The story is narrated at a brisk pace. Initially you are made to think that the story is just about a woman searching for her husband, but by about thirty minutes into the film you sort of realise that there is much more to the story than that, especially after the entry of Bob Biswas’ character. The first sequence of the poison gas attack seems unrelated, but its significance is known soon enough. Kahaani enters my list of films where the twist ending is in some ways the best part and in some ways, is a major disappointment. The hundred and five minute build up till the climax puts loads of questions into your mind, almost all of which are answered in the last few minutes. The only problem is that the ending puts some new ones into your mind, for which you can decide your own answers. As a viewer you may expect some hints (as I had written in my review of Now You See Me) and in Kahaani, the hints are very subtle, but nevertheless, they are good enough for you to guess the twist ending.

Parambrata Chatterjee as Rana

From her role in Paa, Vidya Balan has given several successful, powerful roles as the lead character, especially in films categorised as “woman-centric”. In fact, her roles in such Hindi films have earned her the tag of “female-hero”. In Kahaani, her performance was a class apart. Despite being pregnant, and though it seems certain that her husband does not exist, the way she shows courage and determination (even breaking laws to get what she wants) was quite interesting to watch. Chances are that you will be speechless (if not shocked!) after seeing this performance. Though Balan’s show may have overshadowed the roles of Chatterjee and Siddiqui, who technically are the other “lead actors”, they have given commendable performances as well.

Leading from the front, Vidya Balan is perhaps the main reason for the film’s success. Of course, the script was excellent, and, like I said before, the story actually is thrilling. I personally felt that the climax was fitting (though I had to create my own answers for few unanswered questions) but the point is, no other ending could possibly tie up all the other loose ends. This is one film that hardly disappoints... certainly worth a watch!

My Rating: 4.5/5