The 'After Hrs' review: 'Kahaani'

Film: Kahaani
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indraneil Sengupta, Saswata Chatterjee
Rating: ****

‘Vidya in her pregger avatar’ and the film being a ‘thriller’ were the only buzzwords doing rounds right until the film’s release. But a few minutes into the film and words like biological warfare, Intelligence Bureau, mission, agents… all grab your attention. The film grips you from the very first frame and it doesn’t loosen right till the end, courtesy the slick editing.

A heavily-pregnant Vidya Bagchi (Vidya) arrives in Kolkata from London looking for her missing husband Arnab Bagchi. Her first stop is a police station, before checking into a seedy guesthouse. At the police station, she befriends a rather helpful sub-inspector Rana (Parambrata), who points out that everyone in the city has two names. His own real name means Arjun’s charioteer, Krishna. The connection is hard to miss, as he becomes just as vital in Vidya’s search for her husband. Just as Vidya and Rana find themselves sucked into one twist after another, the audience too finds itself hooked to what’s unravelling on the screen. The background score keeps up with the mood and the city with all its glory and grime is well captured as well.  

While Vidya’s clearly the star here, the film belongs as much to the no-nonsense agent Khan (Nawazuddin) and Parambrata as it does to her and Kolkata. Saswata Chatterjee as the pitiful-looking insurance agent evokes so much sympathy as he gets fired by his boss, that his real identity when revealed packs in enough shock for the viewer. His track is one of the more interesting ones. The edgy and fast-paced thriller has enough nail-biting and drive-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, but it’s not bereft of the tender ones either. The silent attraction Rana feels towards Vidya, the scene wherein Vidya breaks down on her bed, all keep the film well balanced.

Amitabh Bachchan’s rendition of Aekla Chalo is superbly timed, and the parallel of Durga festivities are not just co-incidental. Vidya’s performance is flawless right till the end and the look in her eyes in the last confrontational scene stays with you long after the credits have rolled by. Parambrata sensitively captures the nuances of his character and is endearing, while Nawazuddin is equally impressive. There are few filmmakers who can handle the genre, and the deft handling of the twists and turns as well as the flashbacks show Sujoy’s hold over it. The film proves that Jhankaar Beats was no flash in the pan and after the trial and error of his previous two films, he can clearly take a bow for this one. Watch it and you won’t be surprised if you see yourself making a trip to watch it again.