When I was in India, I saw a lot of previews for Kahaani, a thriller starring Vidya Balan, one of my all-time favorite Bollywood actresses. So when I saw it was playing in New York, I decided I was ready for another Bollywood foray. And let me just say, if you've never seen a Hindi movie before, you need to drop whatever you're doing and seek this movie out before it leaves theatres. Because this is no song & dance bit of fluff. This is a crazy, suspenseful, edge of your seat thriller that keeps you guessing until the final minute.
Kahaani tells the story of Vidya Bagchi (Balan), a 7-months pregnant woman who arrives in Kolkata from London to find her husband. She claims her husband came to Kolkata for a short assignment at the National Data Center, and he spoke to her every day until he dropped all contact 2 weeks ago. Frantic, with no idea of where to turn, she decides to come to Kolkata herself and investigate her husband's disappearance. Rana, a local police officer, sympathizes with her plight and helps her follow up various leads, even though his captain dismisses the case as a straightforward story of a man running away and leaving his pregnant wife in the lurch. The case gets complicated as everyone Vidya meets claims to have never heard of her husband. He never stayed at the guesthouse where he claimed to be living and no one at the National Data Center has heard of him. But later, an HR rep takes another look at the photo that Vidya left with her, and realizes that her husband looks a lot like a former employee. From that coincidence follows an utterly gripping investigation that leads Vidya and Rana to a complex intelligence cover-up that would stymie even Jason Bourne. And all this takes place with the city of Kolkata as a vibrant, throbbing backdrop that mimics the urgency of the film.
The plot is relentless, with multiple twists and turns and moments that often left the audience gasping. Whenever Vidya finds the answer to one question, she finds several more problems that need to be solved, until the very end when the whole story becomes crystal clear. Writer-director Sujoy Ghosh has paced the film perfectly, so you aren't overwhelmed with too much detail, but you're never bored either. The film's tight plotting is readily apparent at the end when everything is explained and you discover that there was not a single moment or conversation in this film that was gratuitous. Even a simple chat with a schoolboy turns out to be a clue, and if you were paying close enough attention, you might have been able to solve the case before the characters did.
Vidya Balan has become the go-to actress for movies that center on a strong female character. When I first described the movie to my mother, I told her it starred Vidya Balan and her next question was, "Who's the hero?" Amusingly enough, she had the identical conversation when she called up her mother in India and had to describe the movie to her. It's rare (in both Bollywood or Hollywood) to have a movie that relies on one woman to run the show, but with the recent success of movies like The Dirty Picture (also starring Vidya Balan) and now Kahaani, Bollywood seems more inclined to make movies with female-centered narratives. And that can only be a good thing.
Oftentimes, the best thing I can say about a Bollywood movie is that it was just as good as a Hollywood one. However, in the case of Kahaani, I'd have to say it was better. Let's hope that it leads to more Hindi movies that place emphasis on crisp storytelling, impeccable direction, and strong female performances that don't require a "hero" at all.
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