Kahaani 2 review: Vidya and Arjun's rock solid performances let down by a lethargic second half!

Film - Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh 
Cast : Vidya Balan, Arjun Rampal, Jugal Hansraj 
Director: Sujoy Ghosh 

What's it about 
Let's make this clear. Kahaani 2 is not a sequel or prequel to Kahaani. Neither does the plot  follow up on the central characters of the 2012 release. Kahaani 2 is a completely new story with a new character - Durga Rani Singh (Vidya Balan) and a different premise. Yes, the setting of West Bengal and fleeting images of Kolkatta are throwback references to its predecessor, but otherwise Kahaani 2 can be watched without any previous reference. Arjun Rampal plays a cop who gets caught in a case that involves him revisiting his past. The connect of his backstory with the missing report filed by Vidya Sinha (Balan) of her daughter Mini sets the ball rolling in this drama veiled as thriller. Sujoy Ghosh uses elements of the first film in weaving a narrative that has a slippery grip on the audience. The first half involves a major flashback story that sets the premise of the murky identity of Durga aka Vidya Sinha. Are they two different people or a case of split personality ? What is Arjun's involvement in the abduction case ? The film throws up multiple questions, some of which are answered the others left without closures. 

What's hot 
Kahaani  2 has a tight first half. Sujoy is in his element and the pressure to deliver a follow up to a critical and commercially successful film doesn't seem to haunt him so much.  Ghosh creates some poignant moments between Arjun and his wife who is wary of his feelings towards the family or Vidya battling the dark demons of her own past and trying to keep her daughter away from suffering the same. Arjun Rampal is a revelation in the role of an inspector who tries his best to stay true to his duty. Without being over dramatic in the high points of the film, Rampal manages to give a performance that proves less can be more. Vidya Balan is a directors delight and her performance in Kahaani 2 must have made Ghosh extremely proud. Her ability to oscillate between one emotion to another is something only stalwarts can achieve. Balan might not have the shock value of the first film yet her performance wins you over with its sheer honesty. There is also a very important message the film delivers and it handles the subject of child abuse with utmost sensitivity. 

What's not 
Kahaani 2 suffers more than just a lethargic second half. The issue is in the writing. You can feel the pressure set in as the film rushes from one scene to another wanting to rapidly culminate in an end that is meant to satiate the audience expecting a shocking twist or turn. Kahaani 2 doesn't have any such stand out scene that would be a spoiler alert or make you discuss the way the moment played out during drinking sessions with your buddies. The comparison with the first might be unfair, but there can't be any excuse for rushing into a climax with a sense of desperation. Vidya's character addresses the issue of sexual abuse at a young age and that could have been material for a different genre, in Kahaani 2 it feels misplaced. Ghosh pampered us with such a nail biting edge of the seat screenplay in the first that we end up waiting in anticipation for the big reveal that never comes.

What to do 
Kahaani 2 has a rock solid performance from Vidya Balan. But is that enough to quench the thirst of a thrill seeking audience ? The answer is as dark as the films premise. 

Rating: 2.5 stars