Movie Review: A 'Kahaani' To Remember

Right from the Howrah Bridge, bathed in chrome colours to the Durga Pooja, all in reds and whites, to the angst of people living inside the city. Kolkata would never have felt so much alive on the screen before. A character in itself,  containing an assortment of people holding things close to their hearts and each having a story to be told.

Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan), a pregnant woman, enters the mad rush of city with a hope of finding her husband in the lost crowd. A crowd having Kolkata living inside them. Easily muddled by the layers of complexity and the ingenuity of the characters,  she learns the brutal fact that searching for her husband would be an uphill task. The director, Sujoy Ghosh,  knew his content well and has masterfully executed a thrilling tale which makes sure that the viewer remains engrossed till the end credits roll down. Accolades to Vidya Balan for driving a film with so much of twists and turns safely home. She was terrific in her role and had a commanding screen presence. When all will be said and done, people will remember this as yet another movie, single handily carried by an outstanding actress.

This was a movie that belonged to the characters who found comfort in their respective places inside the screen. Special mention is to be made of Bob Biswas, who gave a trendsetting performance with the role he was entrusted with. Parambrata Chatterjee as Rana shined brilliantly in his portrayal of a police officer who was helping our veteran lead.  Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Khan will be remembered for his cold characterisation of an Intelligence Bureau Officer.

Be it Setu’s aesthetic cinematography, the soulful ‘Ekla Chalo’ rendition by Mr. Amitabh Bacchan, the jaw dropping intermission sequence, the devoted Durga Pooja crowd, the dramatic and heart racing climax, the scintillating opening scene or the claustrophobic environment of Kolkata, Kahaani hits each and every note right.

A benchmark for the Indian thrillers, Kahaani will easily rewrite the way tales are told in our country. A path breaking movie that will find accolades among the classes as well as the aam junta. All said, this ‘Kahaani’ will leave you stunned.