Watching Kahaani in the theatre was actually not on the agenda. A friend goofed up with the timings for a meet-up and some of us had a couple of hours to kill. Considering the state of the traffic and roads, we decided to remain in the area. Booked tickets for Kahaani in a theatre close by, and wow, it sure was time well spent!
A thriller with an unlikely twist
A very pregnant lady arrives in Kolkata from London in search of her missing husband. Her mission to find him stirs a hornet’s nest at various levels, with people determined to stop her. Intrigue, mystery, and conspiracy theories abound. The body count goes up, before a twist in the tale leaves the viewer with a surprising and unexpected climax. The film is set during Durga Puja, giving the investigation a colourful and festive backdrop.
Fabulous Performances
As the protagonist of a female-centric Hindi thriller, Vidya Balan delivers one of her finest and strongest performances. She’s patient and understanding in scenes with the cops, vulnerable yet determined when interacting with an IB official, and delightful with the couple of kids that play a role here. Desperation, helplessness, fright, steely resolve, playful with a sense of humour – she conveys them effortlessly. Her persistence is her superpower.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is fine as the foul-mouthed and arrogant IB officer, whether shouting at people and ordering them around or having to swallow his pride and request/cajole Vidya into helping him. Good overall, but just a bit over the top at times.
Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Kharaj Mukherjee as the cops are an ideal foil to each other as the junior and senior cops respectively. The former accompanies Vidya on her quest. His boyish charm, protective nature, sympathy for Vidya bordering on affection, and his sense of duty, come across well.
For me, one of the highlights of the movie was Saswata Chatterjee. He easily stole the show with his chilling portrayal of the roly-poly and ever smiling contract-killer, Bob Biswas. Genial insurance agent one moment, a cold-blooded killer the next. His polite manner and quaint mannerisms gave his character an added edge. People won’t be able to look at insurance agents the same way again :p
The rest of the cast are the film’s backbone. They’re believable as real people and not “actors”, and deliver fine performances in the limited screen time they have. Both the kids, especially Bishnu at the guest house, instantly bring a smile to your face.
A quiet but powerful soundtrack
The music by Vishal-Shekhar and background score by Clinton Cerejo both do an admirable job of getting into the “skin” of the movie. They composed six songs, of which two were used in the movie; “Aami Shotti Bolchi” by Usha Uthup, and “Ekla Cholo Re” by Amitabh Bachchan. Both are good although a Bong friend wasn’t too happy with AB’s accent. There’s a choir version of the latter as well that plays out in parts during the movie.
Listening to those old R.D. Burman/Kishore Kumar songs lends a touch of nostalgia. Thankfully, there are absolutely none of the usual song and dance routines here, not even as a dream sequence, so that’s a big relief. It would have totally ruined the movie’s tempo.
Direction, Editing, Cinematography are on point
Sujoy Ghosh has delivered a very enjoyable movie in Kahaani that keeps you guessing right till the end. Of course, one can debate some of the cinematic liberties as well as the deception that plays out. The screenplay and story (Sujoy Ghosh, Suresh Nair, Nikhil Vyas, Advaita Kala) keeps the film taut and tense. While it does get too clever for its own good in parts, Sujoy’s direction is one of the biggest strengths here.
In most Hindi films or TV shows, whenever the story demands “technical” stuff involving computers/mobiles or even “hacking”, they’re shown in a very amateurish and unconvincing manner. A small nitpick, but thankfully such scenes in Kahaani are brief enough that their implausibility rarely disrupts the momentum.
Cinematography by Satyajit Pande (Setu) gives Kahaani and Kolkata a lovely visual personality; neither postcard-pretty nor with the usual cliches. There is a nice contrast between the hustle and bustle of the city and the ominous investigation and action taking place within. Several street-level shots add to the charm and grittiness without making it look like a set piece.
Namrata Rao’s editing keeps the film sharp and always on the move, without being exhausting or boring. There were probably a couple of instances where I felt things lingered on for a bit longer than necessary but that’s a minor issue.
Kahaani is a smart and well-acted thriller that’s engaging enough to make you overlook some of the bits that stretch your imagination.
Go watch it!
