Most thrillers in bollywood normally have the following things in common- actors with sculpted bods, actresses with few costumes, some random song with the title of the film being repeated over and over again, expensive car chases and a plot that’s lifted from some Hollywood, French or Tollywood film.
“Kahaani” has none of these. So, if you are going to theaters expecting any of these, you will surely be disappointed.
But, if you are looking for a ‘Kahaani” that gives you a well constructed story with plenty of edge of the seat moments, gritty camera work, razor sharp edits and an awesome background score- look no further because this “kahaani’ is the mother of all ‘kahaanis”.
When I saw the promos on television, my initial thoughts were” Ok, . This one is going to be a gritty “social thriller” about how a pregnant lady finds the truth about her missing husband.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The plot centers around a much pregnant Bidya Bagchi( Vidya Balan), an NRI from London, whose husband Arnab Bagchi, ( Indraneel Sengupta) mysteriously disappears after being sent for an assignment to India. She reaches Kolkata, charms everyone who come her way, stands up to those who obstruct it, scurries the lanes and the bylanes of Kolkata with a certain Inspector Rana, finding out small clues about her missing husband and trying to put all the pieces together.
Little does she realize that there is one more unseen character in the story who is with her at every step of her struggle- That’s me- the viewer, as along with Bidya, I too was trying to connect the dots and find out what had happened to her husband. From the first frame till the last- the plot has got enough of believable twists to keep you on the edge of you seat.
That is how entertaining and enthralling this thriller turns out to be. I will not reveal anything more about the plot as if I did, it would be a disgrace to all who have contributed to making this mind boggling thriller.
The performances by Vidya balan and the rest of the supporting cast are top notch and here the camera is not just a viewing machine. It transcends to become a character of the plot. The same goes for the city of Kolkata. Never before has the city been presented in such a griity way.
All in all, an entertaining thriller that keeps you glued to your seats and gives you full value for your money and time spent.