It is rare to find a film that is better than the promos. This is one such film. The promos have been kept low key which could be a deliberate strategy so as not to break the suspense. The initial opening has not been very encouraging but should pick up with time(remember the tepid opening of Mani Ratnam’s ‘Roja’ which went on to create history?). 1st day 1st show crowd was predominantly Bengali which is not surprising as the entire film has been shot in Kolkotta & cheers of Jai Mamata Didi during the titles was an indication of the change that has happened in Paschim Banga.
The film moves at a right pace giving the audience just enough time to digest the film gone without appearing to rush too fast or drag on. The sights & moods of Kolkotta have been captured well including attention for seeming small details like the use of the letter B for V. For a film of this type, there are just a couple of songs & rightly so. The songs & background music are good.
If there is anything that has managed to create a serious challenge to the script & screenplay it is V(B)idya Balan playing herself as a Tamilian NRI. Her story starts with her innocuous search for her missing husband, weaves through a lot of twists & attempts to hush up dark secrets before ending in an unexpected climax. It would be unfair to the makers of the film to reveal anything more. I believe the number of people getting up during interval to take a break is an indication of how bored they must have felt in the 1st half & what they expect from the 2nd half. This was a film which kept a large part of the audience glued to their seats wondering what is going to happen in the next half. Other actors have also done a good job but this was a film made for Vidya & she clearly dominated everyone else. Coming on the back of a successful but completely different role in ‘Dirty Picture’, Vidya has reinforced that she is the No. 1 in Bollywood by a large margin at this point of time.
My recommendation is you must watch it(& not on a pirated CD / net please) & the odds are that you will enjoy the experience.