Cast:
Vidya
Balan,
Arjun
Rampal,
Jugal
Hansraj,
Naisha
Khanna,
Amba
Sanyal,
Toto
Roy
Choudhary
Director:
Sujoy
Ghosh
Producers:
Sujoy
Ghosh,
Jayantilal
Gada
Writers:
Sujoy
Ghosh,
Ritesh
Shah
(dialogues)
What's
Yay:
Impressive
performances,
taut
screenplay,
gripping
first
half
What's
Nay:
The
predictable
climax
is
a
big
let-down
Popcorn
Refill:
Strictly
interval
The
Iconic
Moment:
The
scene
where
Durga
Rani
Singh
discovers
a
shocking
secret
about
the
Deewan
family,
leading
to
Mini
finally
spilling
the
beans.
Plot:
Kahaani
2
opens
with
a
night
scene
in
Chandan
Nagar,
West
Bengal.
Sujoy
Ghosh
wastes
no
time
in
giving
us
a
glimpse
of
the
daily
lives
of
Vidya
Sinha
(Vidya
Balan)
and
her
paralysed
daughter
Mini
which
includes
cleaning
up
the
house
and
playing
Ludo
on
a
typical
Sunday.
Vidya
is
quite
protective
of
Mini
and
wants
to
seek
the
best
treatment
for
her
in
New
York.
However,
one
fine
day,
their
small
world
turns
upside
down
when
Vidya
returns
home
from
office
only
to
discover
that
Mini
is
missing.
Minutes
later,
she
receives
a
mysterious
call
and
hurriedly
rushes
out
to
reach
the
given
address.
Unfortunately,
she
meets
with
an
accident
on
her
way
which
leaves
her
in
coma.
Inspector
Inderjit
Singh
(Arjun
Rampal)
takes
up
this
case
and
is
shocked
to
recognize
Vidya
as
Durga
Rani
Singh,
a
criminal
wanted
for
kidnapping
and
murder.
His
further
investigations
lead
him
to
Vidya/Durga's
house
where
he
stumbles
upon
a
black
diary
holding
a
dark
past
that
could
help
him
in
connecting
the
dots
and
take
this
story
to
its
conclusion.
Direction:
While
the
first
Kahaani
revolved
around
a
pregnant
lady
in
search
of
her
missing
husband,
Sujoy's
latest
offering
this
time
addresses
a
grave
issue
that's
often
brushed
under
the
carpet.
What's
applaud-worthy
is
that
the
director
handles
the
subject
with
sensitivity
without
resorting
to
any
gruesome
visuals.
Yes,
the
film
does
feed
upon
some
typical
Bollywood
staples
but
Sujoy
with
his
neat
story-telling
leaves
a
lasting
impression.
This
time,
Bob
Biswas
and
his
'Namaskar..ek
minute' is
replaced
by
a
female
harridan
who
brandishes
her
razor
blade
mouthing
'yeh
safe
hai'
before
striking
her
victim.
Acting:
Vidya
Balan
gives
a
solid
performance
reminding
you
why
she
is
one
of
the
best
performers
in
the
industry.
Be
it
fear,
angst,
anxiety
or
sorrow,
the
actress
gets
all
her
emotions
spot
on
and
shines
in
every
frame.
You
so
want
to
see
more
of
her!
Arjun
Rampal
holds
his
own
identity
and
lends
the
story
a
whiff
of
humour
amidst
the
building
tension
at
several
junctures.
Jugal
Hansraj
is
the
surprise
package
here
for
one
has
never
seen
him
in
this
avatar
before.
(Sorry,
no
spoilers
here!)
Naisha
Khanna
gives
a
superlative
performance
and
her
scenes
with
Vidya
are
heart-touching.
Other
Technical
Aspects:
Kahaani
2
has
one
of
the
best
first
halves
that
keeps
you
glued
to
your
seat
with
his
water-tight
screenplay
and
gripping
narrative.
You
just
don't
get
a
moment
to
breath
loose
as
you
fear
losing
out
some
crucial
details.
However,
post
interval
things
start
getting
predictable
and
the
guessing
game
comes
to
an
end.
The
plot
loses
steam
as
you
wait
in
anticipation
for
a
surprise
twist
in
the
tale.
Sadly,
that
moment
never
arrives
and
you
are
instead
treated
to
a
dull
climax
which
totally
lacks
a
punch.
To
put
it
in
other
words,
it
feels
like
being
served
some
dal-chawal
after
a
scrumptious
plate
of
biryani!
Had
Sujoy
focussed
more
on
these
points
of
disappointment,
Kahaani
2
would
have
outrun
its
predecessor!
Tapan
Basu's
cinematography
captures
West
Bengal
in
a
more
subtle
way
as
compared
to
what
Kahaani
had
to
offer.
There
is
no
Durga
Pujo
or
colourful
streets
of
Kolkata.
Instead,
Sujoy
gives
a
glimpse
of
the
city
that's
far
more
rooted.
Namrata
Rao's
sharp
editing
makes
the
film
more
edgy
and
exciting.
Music:
The
film
doesn't
have
any
scoop
for
songs
and
Kahaani
2
neither
boosts
of
some
memorable
tracks.
The
background
music
seams
well
with
the
narrative
and
adds
more
hues
to
the
mood.
Verdict:
Watch
Kahaani
2
for
Sujoy
Ghosh's
finesse
for
extracting
some
power-packed
performances
and
making
them
stand
out
in
the
film.
If
you
are
in
mood
for
some
thrills,
then
Durga
Rani
Singh's
world
is
the
right
place
for
you
to
step
in!