Critiqued: Kahaani

Great acting also means you get to keep your clothes on! Alright, move over Kareena and Katrina, Vidya's in B-town to stay. On the top. In a big big way. After finishing 2011 on a strong note with The Dirty Picture, Vidya's hot streak continues in 2012 with an awesome performance in Kahaani. This film did not have half the publicity The Dirty Picture did, but then again having Vidya in the lead role was probably enough to draw the public to the theaters. On to the review then.

Kahaani is a no nonsense, no frills film much like No One Killed Jessica. No sappy love story here. No item songs like Munni, Sheila or Bipasha with barely clad dancers (not that we have a problem with that). Every aspect of the film has been very carefully thought out as is evident from the story and location to the ensemble cast. It just works. You would be hard pressed to find a single cast member that did not perform at the highest level. Nawazuddin Siddiqui was ruthless as the Intelligence Bureau officer who puts his love for the nation ahead of everything else. But there is still that humanity in his character which makes him very believable. We have a feeling you will be seeing a lot more of him in the future. Parambrata Chattopadhyay was also a great addition to the cast and plays Vidya Balan's support to perfection despite his betrayal of her trust.

The story is filled with twists and turns with deception being the order of the day. Kolkata and her idiosyncrasies have been captured very creatively and the finale of the Durga Pooja festival with all the color and craziness is a sight to watch. We aren't going to give away the story line and take away from the thrill though. Our recommendation is for you to go and watch the film in the theaters. You won't be disappointed.