Kahaani

Leave your bag of popcorn outside the theater. You would honestly not have the time to crunch it as you watch this fantastic film with bated breath. For Kahaani is a ride so thrilling, your mind would be tripping with a million possibilities, even as your tongue invariably ends up either tied, or hanging in the air with anticipation.

Kahaani is essentially the story of a heavily pregnant London based Tamil woman's search for her missing Bengali husband in Kolkata, underplayed exuberantly by Vidya Balan. The supporting cast comprises a helpful cop Parambrata, a selfish detective - Siddiqui, an eccentric life insurance agent - Saswata, and a bhadralok Police officer - Khwaraj, and last but not the least, of a 300+ year old city - Kolkata seeped in the throes of celebrating the mother of all festivals - Durga Puja.

The film unfolds like the pages of a gripping novel by Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes and is shot like that of an Alfred Hitchcock or a Satyajit Ray. Using real people, places, and situations to underline the nuances of the story is a task that's handled brilliantly by director Sujoy Ghosh (also the co writer) whose recent claim to shame - an abysmal Aladdin, or a horrendous Home Delivery shall soon be forgotten just as Madhur Bhandarkar's debut dud was.

In addition to the sterling performances and the plot is the terrific technical support. Be it Amitabh Bacchan's rendition of Tagore's 'Ekla Chalo Re', the background songs (mostly of RD Burman), playing innocently as the characters travel the length and breadth of the city, the costumes by Sabyasachi, the 'just right and yet dramatic' background score, the non-condescending cinematography that captures the city as if it were a character, and the supreme screenplay with a spattering of real Bengali, act as just the right spices to turn this into a delicious dish, that's both exotic as well as commonplace.

Watch this film to experience something so satiating, you would surely ask for more (a rare for a thriller!). I give this a 10/10 not just because this is one of the best thrillers ever made in India, but definitely one of the best films to have ever come out of Bollywood. Kudos to the whole team! Trust me! Ami Sotthi Bolcchi!

P.S: Please do not discuss the story with anyone else, unless they have watched this film.

Let me say right now that this is not your usual Bollywood run-of-the-mill. If you are expecting typical Bollywood masala with hide and seek romance, dancing around trees, superhero fight scenes and 'filmy' dialogue, you will find it in the remaining 999 films that the Indian film industry has on the 2012 assembly line. What works for "Kahaani" is its atypical narration arising from a well written story, first class cinematography in tandem with good soundtrack, and the performance of a leading actress whose very mention signals the changing face of Indian cinema.

Arriving from London, a heavily pregnant Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) heads straight to the Kalighat police station in Kolkata to enquire about her missing husband. With the help of Rana (Parambrata Chatterjee), a rookie cop, Vidya begins to unravel the mystery behind her husband Arnab's disappearance. Together, their investigation leads to dead ends, but not before learning that Arnab may be linked to a terrorist agent operating as a mole within the Indian Intelligence Bureau. Wrestling with this possibility, Vidya finds herself digging into a high profile federal cover-up, even as an assassin trails her every move.

Co-written by director Sujoy Ghosh, "Kahaani" is a well crafted thriller that is simply too good by Bollywood standards, current or past. Gosh has not only set a new benchmark in Indian cinema, his overall production quality is far superior to some of his counterparts across the globe. Even so, the true mettle of his work is in resisting the temptation to glorify India's stand on terrorism through nation-wide propaganda. Instead, Gosh pays close attention to the screenplay and how it develops through the narration. Pacing is consistent with a serious tone, but well punctuated with some suspense driven moments and subtle humor when you least expect it. Another strongpoint is in keeping the audience guessing all the way to the diabolical twist in the end. To avoid spoiling the surprise, I will just say that this could be borrowed from a certain Angelina Jolie film, but be that as it may, the conclusion here is totally unpredictable and forms the icing on the cake. There are some factual and chronological goofs but there is no point going there because no film is 100% perfect.

Dating back to the late 17th century, cinematography captures the historical essence of one of India's oldest cities – a 300 year old artifact if you wish – in superb celluloid rendition. Gosh gives Kolkata a pulsating heart without unnecessary exaggeration, while simultaneously capturing the hustle and bustle and nooks and crannies of the city with deft camera work. Using this huge backdrop along with the festival of all festivals, The Durga Puja, Gosh underlines the film's formidable theme of motherhood in seamlessly integrating the fragility of a woman with her in-built yet God-given power to sustain life. From joy to heart-wrenching sorrow, Vidya Balan personifies this ideology with perfection. Fresh off the critical success of "The Dirty Picture", Balan is emerging as a powerful force in female driven plots. While this could very well change the perception on Indian cinema, this a welcome change and one that is long overdue. I am smitten as I am awestruck. Also worth mentioning are Parambrata Chatterjee as Rana and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a difficult IB agent. Together, their roles add vital support to Balan's as well as holding up the plot structure.

As this is my first Hindi movie review, I only hope that I have given this movie the recognition it deserves. Considering my fondness with all things Hollywood, Ms. Vidya Balan and director Sujoy Ghosh have renewed my faith in Indian cinema. I cannot wait to see Balan's next movie. Watch this space.

Do not listen to what people tell you based on the rumors, go and watch it!! The story is just fantastic!! A lot of thought has been put into every minute detail of the movie!! All of it to culminate in an awesome finish. Vidya Balan has as always done her bit perfectly and is supported well by her co-star Parambrata Chatterjee.The cinematography in the initial stages is fair. The direction is legendary. Every single scene has a part to play in the climax. Go watch it \m/. You'll be glued to your seats for sure!! And don't bother to think of what's gonna happen next, cos just like any awesome thriller, you're gonna be proved wrong ;P

Setu's account of Kolkata is delightedly sincere and not superfluous cinematography - the dynamic colours and the simplicity of the artless lanes of Kolkata, admiringly, have not been lost in rhetoric black and white. The same forthrightness has mirrored to a huge extent in Suresh Nair and Sujoy Ghosh's masterful and impressive narration of Bagchi's fable of lost and deeply lost until found.

Vidya Bagchi's (Vidya Balan) hunt for her lost husband Arnab Bagchi (Indraneil Sengupta) brings her down to Kolkata from London. With a seven-month old baby magnifying her power, an infinite exploration of the byways of Kolkata with the help of a local policeman Satyoki Sinha (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) begins. Disordered links and remainders of Vidya's past conversations with Arnab are her fragile hopes. Undeterred, the firewall specialist rummages through the tightly encrypted codes of the mystery, webbed by even more securely encrusted faces.

The refreshing combination of Parambrata and Balan and the motley of emotions and the ease with which they exude them in "Kahaani" make for an outstanding watch. Balan's ability to tailor her sentiments - sympathy, anger and despair - multiplies the strength of her character. The swiftness of the movie leaves no time for the audience to mentally prepare for an upcoming situation. While Vidya accepts herself as "Bidya"in the City of Joy, gifts a chocolate to the kid in the lodge and breaks the lock of National Data Centre; the contract killer Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee) playfully murders people and Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) smokes out his dedication towards his work besides a mouthful of white air.

Just when a wide array of emotions are at their peak and the frantic search is riding high, Amitabh Bachhan's rendition of Tagore's famous song "Jodi tor dak shune" transfers the mood to a completely different level. The festive mood of the city, the preceding and the succeeding of it, the red of sindoor and the expressions of the idols of Durga have been phenomenally well-utlised in the movie.

Balan is a breeze of fresh air in Bollywood, which is suffering from the curves of furniture heroines and "Kahaani", another robust step after the recent "The Dirty Picture" towards reinforcing the position of heroines in a traditionally hero-driven Bollywood. The subtlety with which the soul of the city has been interlaced in the screenplay, while not losing grasp on the flow of the story even for a moment, is a testimony of effectual storytelling.

There is not a single scene in the movie where Parambrata has been overshadowed by the presence of Balan. His acting skills are distinctly sharp and flowing. Sujoy Ghosh's choice of actors for the various characters in "Kahaani" has made an immense contribution towards the kind of impact it leaves on the viewers long after they abandon the theatre.

After all, "Shotti" sounds better as "Shotti", not "Sotti".

The climax, even though prudent and reasonably well-baked, is slightly dramatic and seems to conclude the movie before clearly justifying the actions of Vidya and Satyoki, especially the latter. The momentum of the story towards the end beats its own record and the circumstances merging with the mood of the city seems to be not so much of a coincidence.

Bagchi's "Kahaani" is one of those that would define tougher standards for the forthcoming Fridays. Why on earth would you like to miss the benchmark?

Watch it. Definitely!

from Bollywood which generally has no place for women centered films, here comes the most amazing powerful suspense packed thriller, starring non other than the charismatic Vidya Balan, the movie is a milestone and a rare treat from Bollywood, definitely a must watch. the screenplay is so tight to find flaws, and the supporting cast has done a great job. Although the ending is not as thrilling as the whole movie, but still it is exceptional and unforeseen, its still great.

And I must say, i was disappointed by Bollywood..(this time they have done it original, no copycat/remake/based upon/Hollywood's copy).. pure original mind blowing suspense.