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Kahaani

Play trailer Poster for Kahaani 2012 2h 2m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
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

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Shubhra Gupta The Indian Express Mar 27, 2019
3/5
[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. Go to Full Review
Russell Edwards Variety Mar 13, 2012
Buttressed by compelling perfs, this adroit thriller makes the occasional misstep but maintains momentum and credibility. Go to Full Review
Sharanya Kumar Film Companion Nov 10, 2023
There is more to Vidya Balan’s character than meets the eye in this film. Go to Full Review
Anna M.M. Vetticad annavetticadgoes2themovies Jan 26, 2021
4/5
[Kahaani's] woman-centricity goes way beyond the usual heroine-oriented Hindi film with the clearly spelt out focus on social issues! Go to Full Review
Film Companion Staff Film Companion Oct 28, 2020
...one of the best thrillers Hindi cinema has ever produced... Go to Full Review
Peter Galvin sbs.com.au Jul 5, 2016
3/5
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Hirok Jyoti R @RT87436274 Dec 3, 2025 This is what we call "absolute cinema". Many viewers can complaint over the tone of the film, but honestly the story is what made it very different than any other bollywood movie. Great story, great characters and great actors doing great acting. If you love watching intense movies, it's a must watch. See more Faiz D @RT95588871 Aug 29, 2024 A terrific Kahaani. One of India's finest films. See more Apr 12, 2020 "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. See more Sep 19, 2019 A must watch for suspense movie lovers! See more Dec 29, 2018 such a good film! Really interesting and mind blowing! See more Nov 16, 2018 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. See more Read all reviews
Kahaani

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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
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