Kahaani 2

After watching kahaani I was wishing for a squeal.Now,when at last the squeal released, I am disappointed. The first film was so much full of thrill, and the squeal is just the opposite. Kahaani 2 is just a typical thriller which failed to reach the expectation.Making squeal of a successful movies has become a trend.Directors of good movies such kahaani should not follow this trend without enough strong story.

Sujoy Ghosh returns with 'Kahaani 2', after the terrific Kahaani in 2012. Well, this isn't a sequel to be honest, its the second installment in the Kahaani series. So Does Sujoy deliver this time well? The answer, is a Yes. Well...mostly!

'Kahaani 2' is an intense & interesting film, that has a superb first-hour, which keeps you at the edge of your seat. But sadly, the second-hour isn't strong enough & the predictability puts you off. Nonetheless, Sujoy keeps the narrative well-paced & the performances are uniformly excellent!

'Kahaani 2' Synopsis: When Durga Rani Singh (Vidya Balan) is charged for kidnapping a child & murdering someone, A cop (Arjun Rampal) tries to solve the mystery.

I don't want to reveal much about the film's main plot, as there some things that might spoil your viewing, but I'd say that Durga Rani Singh's fight for the child is nicely built-up & a very shocking twist in the first-hour, truly terrifies you. You root for Durga, without doubt! Sujoy keeps the twists coming in well, although post-interval, the twists get predictable & the culmination is a little too long. I enjoyed Durga Rani Singh's character & even the Cop is quite a to-the-point hero. Even the sub-plots are fairly good & don't come in the way of the main-plot. But for any thriller, the narrative should not lose its thrill. And that's where 'Kahaani 2' eventually fumbles. Its rock-solid for a while & then its all predictable!

Sujoy's Screenplay is interesting in parts & offers some solid moments. How I wish the second-hour was sharper & even higher on thrills. The Dialogue, are quite good. Sujoy's Direction, on the other-hand, is suitably dark & intense, adapting to the narrative's mood, appropriately. Cinematography is superb & captures the beauty of West Bengal, perfectly. Editing is mostly crisp. Art & Costume Design are well-done. Background Score merits a special mention.

Performance-Wise: Vidya Balan & Arjun Rampal, both, are up for vie top honors. Vidya is excellent as Durga Rani Singh, portraying a women of courage & power, with full commitment. Her scenes with the little girl are truly wonderful. Arjun is in top-form after a long time. He nails the part & enacts the cop, skillfully. Naisha Khanna is adorable. of the supporting cast, Jugal Hansraj is at his creepiest best, while Kharaj Mukherjee & Manini Chadha lend great support. The actress who portrays Naisha's grandmother, is first-rate.

On the whole, 'Kahaani 2' is a decent film, that could've been great, had the Writing been superior. A one-time watch!

Amazing Thriller but this sequel is not above than the 1st Movie.

So much is missing in this movie, A thriller should blow people's mind, the 1st Kahaani was much better.

Simple Camera Work. Simple Acting. Simple Direction.

Arjun Rampal and Vidya Balan's acting is amazing, but this time a little energy was missing.

The First Half of the Movie is really brilliant, Second Half is a little unsatisfying. I recommend this movie, you must watch it. You will end watching it with a smile.

PS: The Thrilling Background Music is so amazing in the movie.

Kahani 2 is NOT as gripping, thrilling and suspense-filled as Kahani. It is actually predictable, esp. in the second half. But it is certainly worth watching (just once only), but with the feeling that the film could have been presented in a more intense, thrilling and focused manner.

MERITS of Kahani 2

1 – The first-half is far more gripping than the second. The build-up is good and creates proper suspense in our minds.

2 – The film is based on the theme of double identity with the intention of keeping ones past a secret. Although this certainly is not a new theme but is thrilling enough to watch - provided it is presented in a focused and intense manner.

3 - Vidya Balan as Durga Rani Singh essays her role with ease and finesse (the great actresses that she is) – and without any make-up.

DEMERITS of Kahani 2

1 - As I mentioned it is predictable. You knew who the villains are.

2 - Towards the end things get a bit "filmy" which is totally unnecessary. This dilutes the tension and the gravity of the situation.

The shoot-out scene between the kidnapper and Vidya Balan is very filmy and old-fashioned. The same could have been executed with more tension and suspense. The casual talk – just after the blast in the house – between police officers (Arjun Rampal and his senior) about their possible promotions for having caught Vidya is totally flimsy. It just dilutes the gravity of the occasion.

3 – Kahani 2 is not as suspenseful as Kahani (which is surely is a path-breaking one in the Suspense genre).

4 – I detest the cheap and dirty locations in which some scenes are shot. The nursing home and the police station are shot in totally cheap, filthily maintained houses.

You will see out-dated switch boards of the 70s. Wall colours have peeled off. Walls are damaged. CRT monitor in police station.

I really wonder what made Sujoy Ghosh do this. Same was the case in Kahani. What was the need to be so "realistic" (If this is the reason)?

The only plausible reason could be to save money for the film. Otherwise, is there shortage of neat and clean houses for the film-makers to hire and shoot in?

5 – The way Vidya goes about dousing the house with Kerosene and the reactions of Kharaj Mukherjee (Arjun's senior) is slightly melodramatic. The same could have been shown in a more seriousness and intensity.

6 – In the role of a middle-class sub-Inspector Inderjeet Singh, Arjun Rampal is NOT the right choice. His urbanised upper-middle-class accent is just not suited for this role.

Sujoy should have hired someone who can speak Hindi with real accent like Mohan Bajpai, Rajkumar Yadav or Nawazuddin Siddique.

7 – Vidya's verbal thrashing of the child sexual abuser could have been more forceful and incisive.

She could have said: "If you are so sexually starved just go and sleep with a prostitute." & "You are a curse to humanity. You do not deserve to live in a civilized society."

8 - It is very strange to hear Gargi Bharadwaj, the hired killer, who is perhaps non-bengali, speaking a distinctive bengali accent - and which sounds totally ineffective and weak.

After Kahaani, the expectations for the sequel was sky high; and I would say Kahaani 2 will surely not dishearten you. The plot of the movie is the story of how Durga Rani Singh (Vidya Balan) saves a helpless child from her uncle who abuses her regularly, and later from a kidnapper which is intercepted by police. The movie will keep you thrilled from the very beginning itself with lots of twists and turns and finally a typical "Kahaani" type of twist in the end.The acting of all the actors are really good and Arjun Rampal has really nailed it as a cop. Vidya Balan's role as a typical Bengali woman was also good. I do not know why the opening of this movie was bad but I think it is really a good movie, a real treat for thriller movie lovers. Go to the theaters and watch it. I can assure you, your money will not be wasted.