Kahaani : A must watch movie

Vidya Baghchi's (Balan) husband Arnab has gone missing and she arrives in Kolkata, seven months pregnant and desperate to find him. The cops at the Kalighat police station are thrown and initially dismiss Vidya's case as one of a husband having fled after knocking up his wife. Vidya finds a friend in rookie officer Rana (Parambrata Chattopadhyay), who helps her piece together a trail that she hopes will lead to Arnab. But the hunt turns deadly when Vidya and Rana discover clues that hold answers to other unsolved mysteries, that are fiercely being kept under wraps.

As the packaged water-guzzling, bellied protagonist, Vidya turns in another fine performance, segueing from steely determination to quiet desperation with ease. And while several supporting characters comfortably hold their own even when sharing presence with Balan (especially Saswata Chatterjee, who plays Bob Biswas), the one that deserves most mention is the city of Kolkata that plays Vidya's friend, foe and silent spectator while it readies to ring in Durga Puja celebrations. 


But there are a few grouses. One wishes that the movie had subtitles, as there's plenty of Bengali in 'Kahaani' that throws the non-speaking viewer off. This reviewer would have totally missed Tagore's song 'Eka', had she not had some help from another viewer who was Bong. There's an unnecessary love angle that turns Chattopadhyay's character into Balan's simpering sidekick. Also the movie's climatic 'aha!' moment feels like the last chapter of a Nancy Drew novel - where the pieces all magically fall in place, motives are suddenly obvious and the characters are all slapping each others' backs for a job well done instead of looking sheepish about not having figured it out earlier.

What to do?
There's certainly a story, but that alone isn't why you're going to enjoy 'Kahaani'. Go watch it for Vidya, Kolkata and thrills that won't have you gripping the handles, but will keep you glued to the seat anyway.