Review : Kahaani

So it was Vidya Balan last year and now it is being said that it is going to be Vidya Balan this year too. Female centered films have become the order of the day. And no one can complain because in the past few years, it is only such films that have been sensible. In that category, we have had dramas (The Dirty Picture, No one killed Jessica) and comedies too (Most of them forgettable). Now comes a Thriller. Fresh from her National Award win, Vidya Balan has become the most bankable female star. Is she as bankable in Kahaani? Directed by Sujoy Ghosh and Starring Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kahaani is a thriller set in Kolkata with a pregnant woman character as the protagonist. Is the movie worth it? I answer the last question with as big a yes as was given to The Dirty Picture.

Kahaani is the tale of Vidya Bagchi who arrives from London to a strange city, Kolkata. She is pregnant and is in search of her husband who is seemingly missing. As she searches for her husband assisted by a friendly police officer, she discovers that there is no trace of her husband either in person or on record. Distraught yet defiant, she continues her search. In the process, darker truths come into light. Vidya and the friendly officer get sucked into a mysterious whirlpool of crime and terror. Vidya has to find her husband holding on to her life which hangs by a thread. Will she succeed? Is her husband alive? Watch the movie and find out.

Never has a thriller made in Indian soil been so straightforward. Zero scope has been given for nonsensical subplots and out of the world romance as has been the trend of 90% of Indian thrillers. The movie moves at a deliberate pace keeping the viewer intertwined in a deftly woven web of paranoia and atmospheric thrills. The characters have been drawn so clearly and the screenplay written so edgily that one is astounded by the next scene always. Director Sujoy Ghosh has chosen his locations and cast very well. Most of the cast is Bengali in keeping with the films locales, which gives it an all the more natural effect. The use of Durga puja as a plot piece has to be commended with claps infinite. His direction is simple, sticking to the point and never wavering from the plot. The viewer is totally arrested and cannot tear his/her eyeballs off the screen. The plot is not devoid of holes though. Some of the elements like the criminal operations have been portrayed as being in far much ease to be careful. But the plot holes seem insignificant as the film in totality fills them up. Added to this is the spicy, sometimes whiplash use of sharp dialogues.

The technical department is adequate. Special mention for the Cinematography (Setu). He has succeeded in creating the mood of suspense with sufficient use of shaded photography and lights and colours of Kolkata. Vishal Shekar have given a score that is tasteful and faithful to the mood of the film. They deviate from their usual style of western pop stylised scores to a much more deeply rooted score worth a hear. Amitabh Bachchan saab's rendition of Ekla Cholo Re is heart warming.

Now, the centerpiece herself, Vidya Balan. She has delivered another award worthy performance. She is restrained and tempered, not going over the top at any point. Her character required a bold performance in the least. But what Vidya Balan has displayed is dollops of guts. She is the person who is to be given credit for making the viewer eye only her as significant while she is the only dominant character of her gender, throughout the film. Surrounded by men, she displays more brawn of character than all of the men put together. But it can be said that Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have provided able support. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has the most of the sharp lines with him.

Is it true that Kahaani is the best film of the year? Nope. It is the best film in nearly four years of the lacklustre period of Bollywood. It is the entry of a to the point thriller to the autobiography of Bollywood. So thick is the atmosphere of suspense that one might choke for want of answers throughout the film. The answers they will get. But what they will get when the movie ends is the feeling that Bollywood doesn't have to copy Hollywood to hook you to a thriller. It just needs it's homeland with a few filmmakers who can stay to their roots and yet engage you. It would be sacrilege on the altar of Bollywood if you miss this one.

Rating : 4 on 5