Right from the Howrah Bridge, bathed in chrome colors 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 silver screen before. Each character in itself, containing an assortment of people holding their belongings close to their heart and each having a story to be told.

Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan), a heavily pregnant woman, enters the mad rush of city with the 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 final credits roll down.

Accolades to Vidya Balan as usual for driving a film with so many 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 handedly carried by an outstanding actress.

This was a movie that belonged to the characters who found comfort in their respective cubicles within 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 shone brilliantly in his portrayal of a police officer who was helping our veteran lead. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Khan will be remembered for his cold characterization 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 impeccably.

A benchmark for the Indian thrillers, Kahaani will easily rewrite the way tales are told in our country. It will be remembered as a path breaking movie that will find accolades among the classes as well as the common man.

All said, this ‘Kahaani’ will leave you stunned.

Ratings — 4/5