Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh | Reviews & BO thread - Page 11

The Kahaani 2 - Durga Rani Singh' trailer left me flummoxed, mainly because quite a bit of the plot was given out.

A woman gets knocked down by a vehicle after her daughter is kidnapped. A cop investigating the accident finds a diary written by the woman and stumbles upon her past, where she possibly murdered and kidnapped a child. Could the same child be the one she now calls her daughter?

All this was covered by the film's rather linear trailer, and left me wondering, "What did I miss?"

After watching Kahaani 2', I realised that I didn't miss anything at all. What the trailer made the film look like - a fast-paced thriller rather than a simmering mystery like its predecessor, Kahaani' - is exactly what Kahaani 2' is. The makers aren't trying to pull a fast one on us here, like they did in the first film (showing flashbacks that eventually turned out to be fake). Instead, Kahaani 2' is a straightforward but mostly compelling film, relying more on drama than mystery.

Kahaani', which released in 2012, was a taut thriller about a pregnant woman looking for her missing husband in Kolkata, which pulled the rug under audiences' feet with a final twist. A cast led by an actor at the top of her game, memorable characters (Remember Bob Biswas?) and a gripping, slow-burn narrative kept you hooked through its 2 hour-plus runtime, ending with a revelation that few saw coming.

A sequel carries baggage with it, of either living up to or outperforming the original, and creates expectations that may have not existed earlier. Kahaani 2' suffers from being a part two of something. While the first Kahaani' benefited from the "surprise" element, the second feels weighed down by it. A lot of effort seems to have gone into writing the climax as one big plot twist (also strongly felt in Te3n', by the same team), and that disrupts the rhythm the film retains till that point.

Director Sujoy Ghosh has made the sequel darker and creepier (fine work by Tapan Basu behind the camera), and ensured the tonality supplements the deeper themes his co-writers are dealing with this time around. Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair and Ghosh keep the tension up for most part, swiftly moving between past and present and lending characters quirks that make them interesting. The third act, however, remains awkward - and even though it's not as forgettable as it was in Te3n', it does take away a lot of the sheen.

In most instances, a film is remembered by how it leaves you feeling - not necessarily due to how it ended, but based on how well the different parts fit together. The first Kahaani's parts fit together more snugly in that sense, even though the sequel aims for more.

The only element - apart from Kolkata - that the film needed to retain was, of course, Vidya Balan, who makes a fine return-to-form as actor. Balan's had a bad run at the movies lately (for no fault of hers, of course), and in a film that does complete justice to her presence, she nails the part. In Arjun Rampal, Balan finds a dependable costar, and the actor delivers a finely-controlled, dignified performance. The supporting cast is pitch-perfect (Jugal Hansraj has never been better). Manini Chadha makes a fine debut as Rampal's wife. Their domesticity punctuates the tension nicely.

Kahaani 2 - Durga Rani Singh' is worth a watch, for its treatment and performances, but only if you don't pin your hopes on that final kahaani mein twist. This tale could have done without one altogether.

Photo: YouTube (Main Image)