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Kahaani

Play trailer Poster for Kahaani 2012 2h 2m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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A pregnant woman's (Vidya Balan) efforts to find her missing husband make her the target of an assassin dispatched by her husband's secretive employers.

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Shubhra Gupta The Indian Express [Sujoy] Ghosh, who gave us a couple of trashy films after his sparkling debut, Jhankaar Beats, is back with a story with a strong sense of place and character. Rated: 3/5 Mar 27, 2019 Full Review Russell Edwards Variety Buttressed by compelling perfs, this adroit thriller makes the occasional misstep but maintains momentum and credibility. Mar 13, 2012 Full Review Sharanya Kumar Film Companion There is more to Vidya Balan’s character than meets the eye in this film. Nov 10, 2023 Full Review Anna M.M. Vetticad annavetticadgoes2themovies [Kahaani's] woman-centricity goes way beyond the usual heroine-oriented Hindi film with the clearly spelt out focus on social issues! Rated: 4/5 Jan 26, 2021 Full Review Film Companion Staff Film Companion ...one of the best thrillers Hindi cinema has ever produced... Oct 28, 2020 Full Review Peter Galvin sbs.com.au The film, with its tough, intelligent femme hero, seems to be a wry rejoinder to the male-centered action of so much Bollywood and Hindi cinema. It's great fun. Rated: 3/5 Jul 5, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (253) audience reviews
J P One of the best thrillers Bollywood had ever produced. Must watch film. Story, screenplay, acting is top notch from all departments. I have watched it 10 times till now and will continue to watch this movie. Kudos team. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/11/24 Full Review Faiz D A terrific Kahaani. One of India's finest films. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Audience Member "Kahaani" is a gripping feminist thriller with a brisk pace and a sense of time and place. It's my favourite film of the year. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A must watch for suspense movie lovers! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member such a good film! Really interesting and mind blowing! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Kahaani is a thrilling ride from start to finish - when a pregnant Vidya Bagchi travels to Kolkata in search of her missing husband, the viewers are taken on an intense, emotional journey to solve the mysteries presented to Vidya throughout the film. This movie presents a huge contrast from many generic Bollywood tropes, providing a fresh take on Hindi cinema. However, some may believe that rejecting such tropes is a rejection of true Hindi cinema. Ashis Nandy writes about important characteristics of Bollywood movies, including overstatement, creating a spectacle, and focusing on events rather than character psychology. Kahaani strategically abandons these concepts, creating an subdued yet profound work of art that draws viewers in nonetheless. Guerilla filming allowed for the city of Kolkata to be captured in its most authentic light, sticking to an auspicious color scheme (red, white, and gold for the Durga puja) and showing the sights and sounds of the city's inhabitants. This was also a more psychologically oriented movie than your typical Bollywood experience - the excellent acting by Vidya Balan as well as her lesser known co-stars showed the inner lives of the characters and the motivations behind their actions, such as Rana's awe of and care for Vidya developing over time. Kahaani is also unique in that in portrays a strong female lead. One of the first and most famous Bollywood movies to do so was Mother India, where a mother raises her children and farms seemingly infertile land when her husband abandons the family. Like Mother India, Vidya in Kahaani chooses to take matters into her own hands when the men around her don't help her. Many characters in the movie initially tried to convince Vidya that her husband had abandoned her and she should go back home, but she ignored them and persisted in pursuit of her goal. Additionally, both the mother in Mother India and Vidya in Kahaani end up defying all expectations placed on her by these males, eventually reaching their end goals solely through their own means. The images of the female lead in both films were tied into goddess Durga, who represents strength in Indian culture. Overall, this movie wove together intricate themes, storylines, and emotions to create a beautiful piece of film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Kahaani

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A pregnant woman's (Vidya Balan) efforts to find her missing husband make her the target of an assassin dispatched by her husband's secretive employers.
Director
Sujoy Ghosh
Producer
Sujoy Ghosh, Sameer Rajendran, Kushal Gada
Screenwriter
Suresh Nair, Sujoy Ghosh, Ritesh Shah
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Hindi
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2017
Runtime
2h 2m