Story in a story

When the Kahani begins you could expect to enjoy a thriller with a few twists in the tale. But a few minutes into the Kahani and you really don’t know what to expect next.

Kahani (the story) begins with Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan), pregnant and wobbly, shuffling out of Kolkata airport and going straight to the police station, to lodge a complaint that her husband Arnab Bagchi is missing. It would have been just another missing person case until, one by one; all her leads prove that the person named Arnab Bagchi never existed. Vidya (or Bidda coming from the Bengali tongue) sets on a quest to find her beloved, with Rana (Parambrata Chattopadhyay ) trotting next to her, desperately wanting to help but puzzled about how to find a person who never existed. The story goes on to halt at dead ends and take sharp turns, entangling itself in a maze mingled with lies and crime, and treachery, and the unconditional love of a wife. It holds enough stories within stories to justify the title of the film.

Vidya Balan’s performance is top notch till the very last bit. She makes the character of a pregnant woman convincing enough, just like she did in her last film The Dirty Picture as Silk. Parambrata Chattopadhyay has performed equally well as the meek policeman who cannot stop caring about the pretty pregnant lady. Cinematography by Setu is impressive; especially using minor jerks in the camera work makes the ambience more natural, and also eerie when it is needed. Beautiful views of Kolkata city gearing up for Navratri celebrations, with Amitabh Bachchan’s voice singing Ekla Cholo in the background, give the film a colourful edge. Kahani is yet another terrific story, told by a team of brilliant story tellers. With no exaggeration or typical Bollywood masala, it stands among other films.

Kahani is a terrific story; one so fast moving, that once out of the theater you might have to jog a little while to shake off the inertia.