Sunday 4 December 2016

#Kahaani 2

It is very difficult to make a well rounded thriller. To get acceptance from the people without high voltage action, sex scenes or vicious crimes and keep them riveted with a social context and a personal agenda of the protagonist is tricky . More so when the director competes against himself in matching the benchmark of this genre set personally and the industry. But Kahaani2 : Durga Rani Singh is altogether a different movie and therefore should be seen as a standalone movie.
The story and plot of the movie is  thin even though it alternates between the past and present through a diary in the first half. The first half is well made and the suspense is built deftly. But Ironically the second half which has more action slows down the tempo. And because of the one dimensional nature of the focus the twists and turns are few and the surprise element fades away towards the end. As a thriller it is probably good.  But could be more. The plot is too linear and simple for a thriller to precipitate.
The social issue brought out in this movie is one that probably is a dark secret. And the director portrays it in a sensitive way. The system that helps the powerful against the underdog and the whistleblower is also neatly exposed. As a social story itself the director deserves credit . But this is Sujoy Ghosh from whom our expectations are much more.
All the blemishes however are taken care of by Vidya Balan and she responds to the director's faith in her in a superlative perforfance. Her deglam looks, intense emotion, understated acting and total identification with the character is perhaps a milestone for an actor, male or female. For me, she has surpassed her role in Kahaani, the previous one. See in spite of my warning, I am myself still comparing. But this again may be the weak point as no other character matches her standard and she carries the entire film on her shoulders.
One actor who could perhaps match up, namely Arjun Rampal is competent but I felt his accent and voice was incongruous with the surrounding. Ditto for Manini Chaddha, who plays his wife. If that was intentional by the director then I would say it was a wrong way to portray them. Other actors from the Bengali film industry support the story admirably, particularly Kharaj Mukherjee by his typical style of comic reliefs.
The director has let the Bengali accent of the actors and use of Bengali words very well to establish the locale and the canvas for his work. It is cleverly done and takes the movie along an identity . The camera work is probing and helps the actors. Actually It is a great work of photography particularly as the night scenes stand out very well. Music by Clinton Cerezo is apt and never goes overboard. The background score is proffessionally done but does not have the haunting quality of say, Shantanu Moitra. The locales of Kalimpong and Chandannagar are brought out well but I felt that the hills of Kalimpong and the narrow lanes of Chandannagar could be explored a little more. And is Chandannagar really so less crowded ? I don't think so.
Overall Kahaani 2 is a very good movie as a standalone but falls short of the huge expectations generated by its association and franchise. It is enjoyable and a clean thiller. Perhaps the best movie for this year on the cerebral quotient. The social message and its chilling relevance is also shown with a lot of sensitivity. I would definitely recommend to watch this movie. 

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