Kahaani 2: Story of a mother....

Kahaani2 : Comparisons are unfair , but comparison are  inevitable when the director & producer decide to use the name of the massively successful first film  to start the franchise , when in both the  films the lead character is a female protagonist named Vidya errr Bidya, when in both the films the central theme somewhere veers around a societal issues , terrorism in Kahaani & child sexual abuse in Kahaani2 , when both the films have a contract killer with a day job and when both the films have a sleuth who seems somewhat concerned about the main protagonist. The list seems endless.

If in Kahaani Bidya Bagchi was out to avenge her husband’s killing, In Kahaani2 Vidya Sinha is ferociously protective about the little girl and goes all out to save her from predators . But then the way director Sujoy Ghosh unravels his story keeps one on the edge of the seat.  In spite of few gaps in the screen play, the first half zips past in a flash. There is beautiful use of songs and scenes from   old films be it  “Yeh Ratain Nayi Purani” from Julie or the scene from Rajnigandha to tease the audience, to give  away just a bit of plot point , to engage the audience in a mind game. And these are Ghosh’s quirky little masterstrokes to breathe life into his story. Like his earlier films In Kahaani 2 also the surroundings play a major role.

Arjun Rampal is a revelation and the supporting actors including Khairaj Mukherjee do a delightful job. But then it is Vidya Balan who steps up the gas in Kahaani 2. She is absolutely spectacular, displaying multiple emotions, be it her vulnerability as a lady who has been abused as a child or her ferocity as a saviour of her daughter. She completely sheds make up and picks up substance to get back to her A game. The background score keeps the tempo up and the cinematography is upto the mark.

However it is post interval that the pace slackens, the story becomes predictable, the mind games stop.  And that is where the film loses out to its predecessor. Ghose takes an extra effort to explain every bit, where he should have left something to the audiences understanding.  

However some plot holes and some unrealistic expectations not withstanding Kahaani 2 is a first rate thriller that dares to take up the issue of child sexual abuse. 

Give Sujoy Ghosh Bengal & Balan he will give us a story of a mother if not mother of a story it seems!

P.S. Kahaani, first film of the franchise is my favourite bollywood thriller.