Kahaani

Story:

Kahaani is a Hindi thriller film that was co-written, co-produced, and directed by Sujoy Ghosh. The movie features Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman on a quest to find her missing husband in Kolkata during the Durga Puja festival. She is aided in her search by Assistant Sub-Inspector Satyoki “Rana” Sinha and Inspector General A. Khan.

The film was envisioned and crafted by Ghosh, with Advaita Kala as a co-writer and developed on a budget of ₹80 million. To minimize public attention while shooting in Kolkata, the filmmakers employed guerrilla filmmaking techniques. The film’s inventive portrayal of the city and its incorporation of local actors and crew members set it apart. Kahaani explores themes of feminism and motherhood against the backdrop of a male-dominated Indian society and includes nods to several films by Satyajit Ray. The film’s music and score were created by Clinton Cerejo and Vishal–Shekhar, with cinematography by Setu and editing by Namrata Rao.

Kahaani was released globally on 9 March 2012 and was lauded for its screenplay, cinematography, and the performances, especially that of Vidya Balan. The film earned ₹1.04 billion worldwide within 50 days, driven by strong critical acclaim and word-of-mouth. It garnered numerous awards, including three National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards, with Ghosh receiving Best Director and Balan winning Best Actress. The film was later remade in Telugu as Anaamika (2014) with Nayanthara in the lead role. A follow-up film, titled Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, was released on 2 December 2016.