Kahaani

Plot synopsis:
A poison-gas attack on a Kolkata Metro Rail compartment kills the passengers on board. Two years later Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan), a pregnant software engineer, arrives in Kolkata from London during the Durga Puja festivities in search of her missing husband, Arnab Bagchi. A police officer, Satyoki "Rana" Sinha (Parambrata Chatterjee), offers to help. Although Vidya claims that Arnab went to Kolkata on an assignment for the National Data Center (NDC), initial investigations suggest that no such person was employed by the NDC.
Agnes D'Mello, the NDC's head of human resources, suggests to Vidya that her husband resembled former employee Milan Damji (Indraneil Sengupta), whose file is probably kept in the old NDC office. Before Agnes can provide any further help she is killed by Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee), an assassin working undercover as a life insurance agent. Vidya and Rana break into the NDC office and find Damji's file, barely escaping an encounter with Bob, who is searching for the same information. Meanwhile, the attempts to obtain Damji's records have attracted the attention of two Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials in Delhi—the chief Bhaskaran K. (Dhritiman Chatterjee) and his deputy Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Khan arrives in Kolkata and reveals that Damji was a rogue IB agent responsible for the poison-gas attack. In spite of Khan's warnings, Vidya continues her search, fearing that Arnab's resemblance to Damji may have led him into trouble.
The address on Damji's record leads Vidya and Rana to a dilapidated flat. An errand boy from the neighbourhood tea stall identifies R. Sridhar (Shantilal Mukherjee), an NDC officer, as a frequent visitor to Damji's flat. Bob attempts to kill Vidya, but fails, and is run over by a car during a chase. Examination of Bob's mobile phone leads Vidya and Rana to an IP address sending instructions to kill her. They break into Sridhar's office to verify his IP address, but he is alerted electronically and returns to his office. Vidya accidentally shoots Sridhar dead during a scuffle, which upsets Khan, who had wanted him alive.
Sridhar's computer data reveals a code, which when deciphered reveals Bhaskaran's phone number. Vidya calls Bhaskaran to tell him that she has retrieved sensitive documents from Sridhar's office. She asks Bhaskaran to help find her husband in exchange for the documents, but Bhaskaran tells her to contact the local police. Vidya soon gets a call from an unknown number however, warning her that she should hand over the documents to the caller if she wishes to see her husband alive. Khan thinks the caller is Milan Damji.
Vidya goes to meet Damji, followed by Rana and Khan. Damji cuts the meeting short when Vidya expresses her doubt that he will be able to return her husband in exchange for the sensitive file, and he attempts to leave. Vidya tries to stop him, and in the ensuing struggle Damji draws a gun on her. Vidya disarms him using the prosthetic belly she has been using to fake her pregnancy and promptly stabbing him in the neck with her hair stick, before shooting him with his own gun. She flees into the crowd before the police arrive, leaving a thank you note for Rana and a pen drive containing data from Sridhar's computer, which leads to Bhaskaran's arrest. Rana concludes that no Vidya or Arnab Bagchi ever existed, and that Vidya had been using the police and the IB to achieve her own ends.
Vidya is revealed to be the widow of Arup Basu (Abir Chatterjee), an IB officer and Damji's colleague, who was killed in the poison-gas attack, which also caused Vidya to immediately fall unconscious upon seeing her husband's corpse and suffer a miscarriage. In her mission to avenge his and their unborn child's death, Vidya was helped by retired IB officer Pratap Bajpayee (Darshan Jariwala), who suspected the involvement of a top IB official.

Tags: plot twist

Review:
For Kahaani is a ride so thrilling, your mind would be tripping with a million possibilities, even as your tongue invariably ends up either tied, or hanging in the air with anticipation.Kahaani is essentially the story of a heavily pregnant London based Tamil woman's search for her missing Bengali husband in Kolkata, underplayed exuberantly by Vidya Balan.
The supporting cast comprises a helpful cop Parambrata, a selfish detective - Siddiqui, an eccentric life insurance agent - Saswata, and a bhadralok Police officer - Khwaraj, and last but not the least, of a 300+ year old city - Kolkata seeped in the throes of celebrating the mother of all festivals - Durga Puja.The film unfolds like the pages of a gripping novel by Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes and is shot like that of an Alfred Hitchcock or a Satyajit Ray. Using real people, places, and situations to underline the nuances of the story is a task that's handled brilliantly by director Sujoy Ghosh (also the co writer) whose recent claim to shame - an abysmal Aladdin, or a horrendous Home Delivery shall soon be forgotten just as Madhur Bhandarkar's debut dud was.In addition to the sterling performances and the plot is the terrific technical support.
Be it Amitabh Bacchan's rendition of Tagore's 'Ekla Chalo Re', the background songs (mostly of RD Burman), playing innocently as the characters travel the length and breadth of the city, the costumes by Sabyasachi, the 'just right and yet dramatic' background score, the non-condescending cinematography that captures the city as if it were a character, and the supreme screenplay with a spattering of real Bengali, act as just the right spices to turn this into a delicious dish, that's both exotic as well as commonplace.Watch this film to experience something so satiating, you would surely ask for more (a rare for a thriller!).
I liked that fact that story did not pushed a possible romantic element neither unneeded songs between characters and kept it straight and focused.Story of Girl (Vidya) looking for her missing husband, is just the start.
Even with new actors, jumping in with their cameo every now and then, each has done full justice to their role.The story has been wisely written binding intelligent writing along with actual Kolkata.Verdict-- If you have been awaiting for a Good Bollywood Flick, with original narration and quality acting, the movie worth's every penny.
Kahaani directed by Sujoy Ghosh is one of the most finest,efficient thrillers I have witnessed in recent times.The first half may be a bit stretched but still its good but it is the second half that keeps you engaged thoroughly and the climax is superb.Story:- Vidya Bagchi(Vidya Balan) playing the helpless , who has arrived from London to Kolkata in search of her missing husband Arnab.
When it seems like her husband's disappearance might be inexplicably linked to a most-wanted terrorist, Vidya pokes her nose around in dangerous places, angering the Intelligence Bureau that is trying desperately to keep some secrets hidden.Sujoy Ghosh,who directed the disastrous Aladin in 2009, is excellent this time.Although there are many sequences in Kahaani which work,but since mentioning them would spoil the fun.The screenplay is taut and brave.The dialogs are very good.The editors could have trimmed the movie,to make it more sharper.The cinematography by Setu is stunning.The locales of Kolkata are a treat to the eye.The music is very good."Ami Shotti Bolchi" sung by Usha Uthup and "Ekla Cholo Re" sung by Amitabh Bachchan stand out.Performances:- Vidya Balan rocks in Kahaani.She is an actor to watch out for.She is amazing.Parambrata Chatterjee as Rana is sweet.Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Khan,the Intelligence Bureau officer is superb.Saswata Chatterjee is good too.Special mention of the two boys,one in the Mona Lisa hotel and the other as the tea vendor are cute.Amitabh Bachchan's narration at the culmination is fine.I am giving nine out of ten for Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani.It is not only to be watched for fans of Vidya Balan but it is also for those who are not.Its your loss,if you miss it..
First and foremost I would like to clear out one thing about me.I am a Bengali but in spite of the fact that I got a mesmerizing view of the Bengali culture and the city of joy-Kolkata (which I haven't visited for ages), this review is not biased.Ever wished you watched a movie that left you completely spellbound?
She is charming in the way she talks with the kids and playful in the bus-ride with officer Rana.Then the subtlety with which Rana emotes the love he feels for Vidya and the hesitation while picking locks to find out evidences.The brash hard talk act by officer Khan and then the evil menacing act by Bob Biswaas.Brilliant!!Moreover Sujoy Ghosh(the director) uses Vidya's pregnancy cleverly- every time she trips or even sweats too hard, you become afraid.The story totally grips you and leaves you at a dramatic high.And what can I say about the climax.Tremendous shock value!There have been very few times when I have experienced such pin-drop silence in the theater.Take a bow Sujoy..You have given Bollywood a gem of a thriller.For those fed up with the dark and gritty underbelly of Mumbai and the bylanes of old Delhi in recent movies, there are splendid sights of Kolkata and the iconic Durga Puja.It's a treat to watch the Howrah bridge,Hoogly river and the Victoria Memorial.Regarding music.Its great.The movie starts on a good note with "Ami Shotti Bolchi" and Amitabh Bachhan's rendition of Tagore's famous song "Jodi tor dak shune" elevates the mood to a completely different level.The director keeps the narrative clutter-free, sans any songs or side-track.Kahaani shows that when everything falls in place for a film — story, writing, acting, editing, cinematography, etc — things can't go wrong.
Now this is some movie..Brilliant script followed with top notch direction,editing, cinematography and performances..Engaging suspense thriller..There seems only one ACTRESS in Bollywood at present..She was just too excellent..But the script was the show stealer..One of the best ever climax I've watched in Bollywood..Will blow away your minds..After watching the movie one will definitely doubt whether this is the same director who has given duds like 'Home Delivery' & 'Aladdin'.
While Vidya accepts herself as "Bidya"in the City of Joy, gifts a chocolate to the kid in the lodge and breaks the lock of National Data Centre; the contract killer Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee) playfully murders people and Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) smokes out his dedication towards his work besides a mouthful of white air.
from Bollywood which generally has no place for women centered films, here comes the most amazing powerful suspense packed thriller, starring non other than the charismatic Vidya Balan, the movie is a milestone and a rare treat from Bollywood, definitely a must watch.
What works for "Kahaani" is its atypical narration arising from a well written story, first class cinematography in tandem with good soundtrack, and the performance of a leading actress whose very mention signals the changing face of Indian cinema.Arriving from London, a heavily pregnant Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) heads straight to the Kalighat police station in Kolkata to enquire about her missing husband.
Wrestling with this possibility, Vidya finds herself digging into a high profile federal cover-up, even as an assassin trails her every move.Co-written by director Sujoy Ghosh, "Kahaani" is a well crafted thriller that is simply too good by Bollywood standards, current or past.
Saying anything more about the script, would be highly unjustified, however, all the characters, be it minor or major, deserve applause for their wonderful performances , that lets you believe, that this could indeed and would happen to anyone in such a scenario.The most important character being essayed in the movie is the City of Joy - Kolkata , and even if the movie in the entire duration portrays it as a festive city, it starts getting on your nerves , never letting you realize what is really scary about it.Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi..
Kahaani does none of this, but it enthralls you, with completely logical consequences of events , and making you wonder, why you never thought of it in the entire movie.A must watch for the international viewers who only treat Indian Films as melodramatic or over the top.
Kahaani is a great movie with some good acting, awesome screenplay along with a strong script And some mind blowing Twist..
Kahaani is a 2012 Hindi Feature Film directed and co-written by Indian movie maker Sujoy Ghosh.
Kahaani depicts the fascinating tale of a London-based IT Professional, Vidya Venkatesan-Bagchi (masterfully portrayed by Vidya Balan), in desperate pursuit of her spouse who has gone missing in the bewitching city of Calcutta (now Kolkata).
with all new characters other than vidya balan it was a movie seem like everybody did good acting.
'Kahaani' is a story of a girl-Vidya Bagchi-who travels from London to Kolkata to investigate about his missing husband-Arnab Bagchi-who had come here two years back for work and since then is reportedly missing.The movie opens up in the metro station of Kolkata and from there it turns out to be a ride.And what a ride it is!Vidya Balan-a national award winning actress-has proved again that she is a flawless actor when it comes to pulling off a difficult and risky role.She makes the movie realistic with her top class acting and brilliant timing.She scares you,thrills you,makes you cry and makes you laugh,what else would one want?
She carries the movie on her shoulders and never lets it fall during the quest.The other characters of the movie also do absolute justice to their roles and keep your eyeballs occupied throughout the quest.The suaveness of Kolkata resides in the characters which sometimes hits your emotional spot too.The police officer by the name 'Rana' in the movie has done a pretty descent job and is a good watch.The movie is fast paced and smart.It's an intelligent flick when it comes to suspense and the clues that lead Vidya's quest.Quality direction,exuberant characters,thrilling screenplay make the movie a worth worth watch.It's one of the very few Indian thrillers that strike your gut with some of it's jaw dropping scenes.It's thrilling,fast and has an effulgent suspense in the end.You shouldn't shouldn't miss it if you're a fan of the genre.9/10.Must watch!.
Kahaani is a story of a pregnant woman from London in search of her missing husband in Kolkata, India.
The only other film we have seen Vidya Balan in was Parineeta, which we thought was one of the best Indian movies we've seen (out of several hundred).
Vidya Balan delivers another stellar performance after 'The Dirty Picture' and possibly the best performance of her career so far.The roles of other characters of the movie are equally worthy and the down to earth look and casting makes the movie that much enjoyable to watch.I must say, if you want to see a good suspense thriller, with a difference, go watch this movie :).
It has everything, a powerful (and believable) script, very convincing performances, decent cinematography and a good complementary background score.It is apt to say that Vidya Balan is the hero and Kolkota city is the heroine of this movie.
You will just fall in love with the colors and shades of the city and the magnification cultural diversity it portrays!Vidya is back with another award worthy performance, good to have a true actress in Bollywood getting roles worth her salt.Parambrata Chatterjee is quite convincing, a young, compassionate, good hearted cop who is not yet corrupted by webs of materialistic world.Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers a powerful performance of a no nonsense intelligence agent.
The last movie i watched was Khichdi-The Movie in 2010.Since then,i haven't even watched a trailer of an Indian movie.All these new actresses,they don't even deserve to be called an Actress.I don't know what people see in them.Maybe people go for faces but not the acting.I,myself judge an actor by his acting.No matter how ugly he is,if he's a perfect actor,it works for me.I heard about Kahaani from a lot of people.I was impressed by it's trailer as well.But i didn't knew what awaits me is far more better than the trailer.From the opening sequence to the very end,you won't even blink your eye.Every scene has something new to offer.The location,the intensity of the music.Everything will keep you on the edge of your seat.But the best thing about this movie is VIDYA BALAN.What a brilliant performer she is.Her expressions,dialogue delivery,the way of talking,every thing is worth praising.If Bollywood is alive these days,it's only because of her.No Khan is match for her excellent acting.It's surprising how people can like crap movies like Housefull 2,Ek Tha Tiger but not this one.This is not your typical-dancing-Bollywood-love-story.So if you're looking for a totally addicting,engaging,well-written movie,then i would recommend KAHAANI without wasting a single second !.
The Movie Starts With An Incident , Which Takes Place In kolkata Metro and Kills enormous Amount of people, And the Movie revolves around Vidya Balan's Search for her husband and to find out what is the connection between that incident and vidya balan's missing husband.The Movie Has Everything, Suspense, great Work, Good Acting, Amazing Screenplay and Vidya Balan Has Done a Stupendous Job.*CLaps*Attractive Piece of Direction and catchy Dialogues Made The experience Even More Beautiful...
Vidya Balan who once again effortlessly carries a movie on her shoulders plays the role of Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant London-based wife searching for her missing husband in Kolkata.
Other few small characters also catch the eye - an adorable little kid who lives near Vidya's guest house and becomes a very good friend, to the sinister contract killer who greets his victims with a warm smile before drilling few bullets into them.The backdrop of hustling-bustling Kolkata, 'The City of Joy', set in the time of their biggest festival, Durga Puja, certainly plays an important role in telling the story.
Dark And Thrilling with twists all around, along with yet another masterful performance from Vidya Balan as the leading actress and the vocal point of the movie having the movie revolve around her character and good supporting acting from the rest of the cast(Specially Sasawata Chatterjee and Parambrata Chatterjee), a gripping story with many twists and turns along with great work from Director and Screenwriter Sujoy Ghosh, Kahaani is one of the rare ''thrillers' in bollywood and definitely one of the best(if not the best) which has the excellent story, superb acting and great direction which will keep the audience glued to the movie.The Story is about a pregnant woman named Vidya(Vidya Balan) arriving at Kolkata from London to find her husband who has been missing for quite a time, and how she discovers clues that lead closer to trying to find her husband after not getting any answers about him, with help from Rana(Parambrata),but her secrets and the case's secrets are revealed as the story moves along.The Acting By Vidya Balan is yet again Masterful and she again proves that she is the best actress in Bollywood Right now with a perfect portrayel of a complicated character and she makes it look so easy with her great acting skills!
He Also has written the screenplay for this movie which is great and gripping with its turn of twists, and has written one of the better stories which he has utilized brilliantly through his direction.The Cinematography is also quite good as the cinematographer does a convincing job in showing the beautiful city of Kolkata excellently.
Good story .Excellent acting .After a long time i liked some Hindi movie.Can't judge anything up to the last scene .Must watch for everybody who loves Hindi cinema.Small budget movie.
Yes this is one of those movies that lingers on in your head even after you leave the movie theater.The star cast right from Vidya Balan(as Vidya Bagchi),ParambrataChattopadhyay(as police offer Satyoki Sinha/Rana),Nawazuddin Siddiqui(as second-in command Intelligence Beaureu),Saswata Chatterjee(as a hired assassin),Kharaj Mukherjee as a kind cop to the manager of Mona Lisa hotel and lastly the two kids who interact with Vidya is simply amazing.There are several high points in the film.Vidya as the portrayal of the pregnant woman delivers a range of emotions.She is at times tough and firm on finding her missing husband.At times, she is vulnerable,frustrated because of the missing clues.
Yes this is one of those movies that lingers on in your head even after you leave the movie theater.The star cast right from Vidya Balan(as Vidya Bagchi),ParambrataChattopadhyay(as police offer Satyoki Sinha/Rana),Nawazuddin Siddiqui(as second-in command Intelligence Beaureu),Saswata Chatterjee(as a hired assassin),Kharaj Mukherjee as a kind cop to the manager of Mona Lisa hotel and lastly the two kids who interact with Vidya is simply amazing.There are several high points in the film.Vidya as the portrayal of the pregnant woman delivers a range of emotions.She is at times tough and firm on finding her missing husband.At times, she is vulnerable,frustrated because of the missing clues.
She had first come up with No One Killed Jessica, which did really well along with The Dirty Picture, which shook the Indian cinema with her superb acting, and now comes Kahaani- a film about a pregnant woman who comes from London to Kolkata to find her missing husband.The storyline is quite an interesting one, and the star cast is amazing too!
The story is of one pregnant Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan) who comes to Kolkata from London in search of her husband who was in India on an assignment but suddenly went missing.
Three things are outstanding, the direction by Sujoy Ghosh, The acting by Vidya Balan and the story.
with superb performance of Miss Vidya Balan as a pregnant women loitering alone in busy streets of Calcutta, and with a phenomenally surprising ending, this movie definitely proves to be a great watch.
Last but not the least Vidya has made her entry in 2012 with another good movie and so has been the journey of Bollywood movies this year.Story line- Pregnant women - searching her missing husband - police - suspense - Kolkata - informants - climax .