Kahaani 2 Movie Review: A Spine-Chilling Fare

In 2012, Sujoy Ghosh and Vidya Balan had come together for Kahaani, a crack thriller about an ostensibly pregnant woman looking for her husband in Kolkata. Years later, the duo had a tiff, buried the hatchet and teamed up once again for Kahaani, which is not a sequel but a fresh story to carry the franchise forward.

Will the second film match up to the first in terms of thrill quotient? Let's find out...

When Sub-Inspector Indrajit Singh (Arjun Rampal) comes across an accident case, he is shocked to discover that the victim Vidya Sinha (Balan) resembles Durga Rani Singh, a woman who is wanted by the police on charges of kidnapping and murder.

When Singh starts unravelling the mystery of her identity, he also learns that Vidya is a single mother with a wheelchair bound daughter, who seems to have vanished in thin air.

Are Vidya and Durga two different women or is there a criminal mastermind with multiple identities pulling the proverbial wool over everyone's eyes?

When Vidya's past catches up with her, Singh faces two choices-to stand up for justice or follow the law and arrest Vidya, who is a fugitive from the police...

Vidya, who was last seen in a special appearance in TE3N, is back to doing what she does best- present a solid and believable character and back it with a stellar performance. The beauty about her character is that at times, she comes across as so vulnerable and the next moment, Durga is a she-wolf, who can rip anyone to shreds for messing around with her cub. When it comes to realistic performances, Vidya has never disappointed us and this film proves that yet again. On his part, Arjun Rampal is not just dapper and dishy, but also manages to stand tall in a film completely dominated by Balan. Jugal Hansraj, who is back on the silver screen, does a decent job of playing the antagonist, though he could have been more sinister and Amba Sanyal, who plays the evil grandmother, is a sheer delight to watch.

As for the story itself, Kahaani 2 is not fast and slick and takes time to unravel but nevertheless keeps you on the edge of your seat. As the story unfolds, you will actually feel a shiver creeping up your spine and sense your heart going out to the protagonist and her cause.

However, when it comes to the second half, Kahaani 2 somewhat goes downhill. Remember that scene in Kahaani where Vidya reveals that she was never pregnant and you gasp in genuine shock? There are no such scenes in this film. Though the film scores high when it comes to the thrill element in the first half, the second half goes the typical Bollywood way and ends up being predictable to the extent that you can see the twist coming up from a mile away. A good suspense story should send a well-timed punch to your gut without a warning, but the second half of the film does nothing of the sort, which may prove to be its undoing.

Nevertheless, Kahaani 2 is still way better than the run of the mill fare being dished out and if a good thriller is your cup of tea, this film could be a good option.