View source for Kahaani

{{short description|2012 film by Sujoy Ghosh}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Kahaani
| image          = Kahaani poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = Theatrical release poster depicts a pregnant woman, with a sightly surprised expression, standing. The city of Kolkata, during Durga Puja, is in the background. Text at the bottom of the poster reveals the title, tagline, production credits and release date.
| director       = [[Sujoy Ghosh]]
| producer       = Sujoy Ghosh<br />Kushal Kantilal Gada
| starring       = {{ubl|[[Vidya Balan]]|[[Parambrata Chatterjee]]|[[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]]|[[Indraneil Sengupta]]|[[Saswata Chatterjee]]}}
| music          = '''Songs:'''<br />[[Vishal–Shekhar]]<br />'''Score:'''<br />[[Clinton Cerejo]]
| cinematography = Satyajit Pande (Setu)
| editing        = [[Namrata Rao]]
| story          = Sujoy Ghosh<br />[[Advaita Kala]]
| screenplay     = Sujoy Ghosh
| studio         = [[Viacom 18 Motion Pictures]]<br />[[Pen Studios]]<br />[[Sujoy Ghosh|Boundscript Motion Pictures]]<br />Wave Cinemas
| distributor    = [[Viacom 18 Motion Pictures]]<br />Wave Cinemas<ref>{{cite web|title=Ponty Chadha's death is Bollywood's loss|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=21 November 2012|access-date=5 November 2022|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/ponty-chadha-s-death-is-bollywood-s-loss/story-4NslEFMXkmDi95G2mqUGIP_amp.html}}</ref>
| released       = {{Film date|2012|3|9|df=y}}
| runtime        = 122 minutes<ref name="Runtime">{{Cite web |date=2 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' (15) |url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/kahaani-2012-0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223162855/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/kahaani-2012-0 |archive-date=23 February 2015 |access-date=1 October 2012 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]}}</ref>
| country        = India
| language       = Hindi
| budget         = {{INR|80 million|link=yes}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 March 2012 |title=Vidya Balan's ''Kahaani'' declared a hit |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service]] |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vidya-balans-kahaani-declared-a-hit/238407-8-66.html |url-status=dead |access-date=21 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205151114/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vidya-balans-kahaani-declared-a-hit/238407-8-66.html |archive-date=5 December 2013}}</ref>
| gross          = {{INR|1.04 billion}}<ref name="ht 50 gross">{{Cite news |date=27 April 2012 |title=Vidya Balan's ''Kahaani'' completes 50 days, grosses Rs. 104 cr worldwide |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/vidya-balan-s-kahaani-completes-50-days-grosses-rs-104-cr-worldwide/article1-847121.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=27 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428164829/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Vidya-Balan-s-Kahaani-completes-50-days-grosses-Rs-104-cr-worldwide/Article1-847121.aspx |archive-date=28 April 2012}}</ref>
}}
'''''Kahaani''''' ({{IPA|hns|kəˈɦaːni|IPA}};  {{translation|''Story''}}) is a 2012 Indian [[Hindi]]-language [[thriller film| action thriller film]] co-written, co-produced, and directed by [[Sujoy Ghosh]]. It stars [[Vidya Balan]] as Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman looking for her missing husband in [[Kolkata]] during the festival of [[Durga Puja]], assisted by Assist Sub-Inspector Satyoki "Rana" Sinha ([[Parambrata Chatterjee]]) and Inspector General A. Khan ([[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]]).

Made on a budget of {{INRConvert|80|m}}, ''Kahaani'' was conceived and developed by Ghosh, who co-wrote the film with [[Advaita Kala]]. The crew often employed [[guerrilla filmmaking|guerrilla-filmmaking]] techniques on [[Kolkata]]'s streets to avoid attracting attention. Its creative portrayal of the city and its use of local crew and cast made it a notable film. ''Kahaani'' explores themes of feminism and motherhood in a male-dominated Indian society. The film also makes several allusions to [[Satyajit Ray]]'s films, such as ''[[Charulata]]'' (1964), ''[[Aranyer Din Ratri]]'' (1970), and ''[[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]]'' (1979). The film's musical score and soundtrack were composed by [[Clinton Cerejo]] and [[Vishal–Shekhar]] respectively, with cinematography handled by Setu and editing done by [[Namrata Rao]].

''Kahaani'' was released worldwide on 9 March 2012. Critics praised the screenplay, the cinematography and the performances of the lead actors. Following critical acclaim and word-of-mouth publicity, the film earned {{INRConvert|1.04|b}} worldwide in 50 days. The film won [[List of accolades received by Kahaani|several awards]], including three [[National Film Awards]] and five [[Filmfare Awards]]. The latter included trophies for [[Filmfare Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (Ghosh) and [[Filmfare Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] (Vidya). The film was remade by [[Sekhar Kammula]] in Telugu as ''[[Anaamika]]'' (2014) with [[Nayanthara]] reprising Vidya's role. A spiritual successor, titled ''[[Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh]]'', was released on 2 December 2016.

== Plot ==
<!-- Per WP:FilmPlot, plot summaries for feature film articles should be between 400 and 700 words. Please do not expand it. Thanks -->
A poison gas attack on a [[Kolkata Metro]] Rail compartment kills all the passengers on board. Two years later, Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant [[British Indians|British-Indian]] [[software engineer]], arrives in [[Kolkata]] from [[London]] during the [[Durga Puja]] festivities in search of her missing husband, Arnab Bagchi. A police officer, Satyoki "Rana" Sinha, offers to help. Although Vidya claims that Arnab went to Kolkata on an assignment for the National Data Center (NDC), initial investigations suggest that no such person was employed by the NDC.

Agnes D'Mello, the NDC's head of human resources, suggests to Vidya that her husband resembled former employee Milan Damji, whose file is probably kept in the old NDC office. Before Agnes can provide any further help, she is killed by Bob Biswas, an [[Contract killer|assassin]] working undercover as a life insurance agent, at the entrance of her house. Vidya and Rana break into the old NDC office and find Damji's file, barely escaping an encounter with Bob, who is sent to search for the same information. Meanwhile, the attempts to obtain Damji's records have attracted the attention of two [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] officials in [[Delhi]]—the chief Bhaskaran K. and his deputy Khan. Khan arrives in Kolkata and reveals that Damji was a rogue IB agent responsible for the poison gas attack. Despite Khan's warnings, Vidya continues her search, fearing that Arnab's resemblance to Damji may have led him into trouble.

The address on Damji's record leads Vidya and Rana to a dilapidated flat. An errand boy from the neighbourhood tea stall identifies R. Sridhar, an NDC officer, as a frequent visitor to Damji's flat. Bob attempts, but fails, to kill Vidya and is soon run over by a truck during a chase. Examination of Bob's mobile phone leads Vidya and Rana to an IP address, sending instructions to kill her. They break into Sridhar's office to verify his IP address, but he is alerted electronically and returns to his office. Vidya accidentally kills Sridhar during a scuffle, which upsets Khan, who had wanted him alive.

Sridhar's computer data reveals a code, which when deciphered reveals Bhaskaran's phone number. Vidya calls Bhaskaran to tell him that she has retrieved sensitive documents from Sridhar's office. She asks Bhaskaran to help find her husband in exchange for the documents, but Bhaskaran tells her to contact the local police. Vidya soon gets a call from an unknown number, warning her that she should hand over the documents to the caller if she wishes to see her husband alive. Khan thinks the caller is Damji.

Vidya goes to meet Damji at the designated location as told in the phone call, followed by Rana and Khan. Damji cuts the meeting short when Vidya expresses her doubt that he will be able to return her husband in exchange for the sensitive file, and he attempts to leave. Vidya tries to stop him, and in the ensuing struggle, Damji draws a gun on her. Vidya disarms him using the prosthetic belly she has been using to fake her pregnancy and promptly stabbing him in the neck with her [[Hair stick|hairstick]] before finally killing him with his own gun. She flees into the crowd before the police arrive, leaving a thank-you note for Rana and a pen drive containing data from Sridhar's computer, which leads to Bhaskaran's arrest. Rana concludes that neither Vidya nor Arnab Bagchi ever existed and that Vidya had been using the police and the IB to achieve her own ends.

Vidya is revealed to be the widow of Major Arup Basu, an IB and Army officer and Damji's colleague, who was killed in the poison gas attack, which also caused Vidya to fall unconscious upon seeing her husband's corpse and suffer a miscarriage. In her mission to avenge his and their unborn child's deaths, Vidya was helped by the retired IB officer, Col. Pratap Bajpayee, who suspected the involvement of a top IB official.

== Cast ==
Credits adapted from [[Bollywood Hungama]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kahaani Cast & Crew |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/kahaani/cast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819030814/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/kahaani/cast/ |archive-date=19 August 2020 |access-date=19 August 2020 |website=[[Bollywood Hungama]]|date=9 March 2012 }}</ref>
{{colbegin}}
* [[Vidya Balan]] as Vidya Bagchi / Vidya Basu
* [[Parambrata Chatterjee]] as [[Assistant Sub-Inspector|ASI]] Satyaki "Rana" Sinha
* [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]] as Deputy Inspector General A. Khan, Intelligence Bureau, New Delhi
* [[Indraneil Sengupta]] as Arnab Bagchi / Milan Damji, the main antagonist
* [[Dhritiman Chatterjee]] as Director of Intelligence Bureau K. Bhaskaran, the mastermind behind the poison-gas attack
* [[Saswata Chatterjee]] as Bob Biswas, a contract killer
* [[Darshan Jariwala]] as retired [[Colonel]] Pratap Bajpayee
* [[Abir Chatterjee]] as Major Arup Basu, Vidya's husband who died in the poison-gas attack
* [[Shantilal Mukherjee]] as R. Shridhar, chief technical officer at the NDC
* [[Kharaj Mukherjee]] as [[Sub-Inspector|SI]] Chatterjee, a friendly inspector at the Kalighat Police Station.
* Colleen Blanche as Agnes D'Mello
* Nitya Ganguli as Mr. Das, Monalisa guest house owner.
* [[Rwitobroto Mukherjee]] as Bishnu, a worker at the guest house.
* Pamela Bhuttoria as Sapna, an employee at NDC.
* [[Kalyan Chatterjee]] as Paresh Pal, a clay artist and a police informer.
* Masood Akhtar as Rasik Tyagi, systems supervisor at the NDC
* [[Arindam Sil]] as news watcher
* [[Riddhi Sen]] as tea seller Poltu
{{colend}}

== Production ==
=== Development ===
[[Sujoy Ghosh]] approached novelist and script writer [[Advaita Kala]] with the idea for the film.<ref name="Kala@ZN">{{Cite news |date=16 November 2010 |title=Vidya Balan is the hero of ''Kahaani'', says scriptwriter Advaita Kala |publisher=[[Zee News]] |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] (PTI) |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-balan-is-the-hero-of-kahaani-says-scriptwriter-advaita-kala_75637.htm |url-status=live |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706041728/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-balan-is-the-hero-of-kahaani-says-scriptwriter-advaita-kala_75637.htm |archive-date=6 July 2012}}</ref> Kala took inspiration from her experience in Kolkata, where she had moved in 1999, akin to the protagonist in the film.<ref name="mitra toi 3-16">{{Cite news |last=Mitra |first=Ipshita |date=16 March 2012 |title=Vidya's journey was my own: Advaita Kala |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/Vidyas-journey-was-my-own-Advaita-Kala/articleshow/12208225.cms |url-status=live |access-date=8 May 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103210050/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-16/books/31142700_1_kahaani-sujoy-ghosh-vidya-balan |archive-date=3 January 2013}}</ref> She reported that despite facing a language barrier and the chaos and poverty of the metropolis, she was charmed by the warmth of the people, which was reflected in the film.<ref name="real life znews">{{Cite news |date=7 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' story inspired from real-life experiences |publisher=Zee News |agency=PTI |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/kahaani-story-inspired-from-real-life-experiences_107223.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126033347/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/kahaani-story-inspired-from-real-life-experiences_107223.htm |archive-date=26 January 2013}}</ref> Kala started writing in 2009 and finished the 185-page script by February 2010.<ref name="dasgupta toi 1152012">{{Cite news |last=Dasgupta |first=Priyanka |date=15 January 2012 |title=Vidya's ''Kahaani'' to release as novel |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=[[Times News Network]] (TNN) |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-15/news-interviews/30627829_1_novel-sujoy-ghosh-release |url-status=dead |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104060712/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-15/news-interviews/30627829_1_novel-sujoy-ghosh-release |archive-date=4 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bhardwaj |first=Malvika |date=7 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'': Advaita Kala says she had to tell Vidya's story right |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/advaita-kala-had-to-tell-vidyas-story-right/237060-40-103.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309225621/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/advaita-kala-had-to-tell-vidyas-story-right/237060-40-103.html |archive-date=9 March 2012 |access-date=21 March 2012 |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]]}}</ref> Her research included reading the books ''[[Open Secrets: India's Intelligence Unveiled]]'' by [[Maloy Krishna Dhar]] and ''India's External Intelligence: Secrets of [[Research and Analysis Wing]] (RAW)'' by V. K. Singh.<ref name="mitra toi 3-16" />

Ghosh, who co-wrote the story and the screenplay, began to plan the film while awaiting the release of his previous film ''[[Aladin (2009 film)|Aladin]]'' (2009), but the dismal response to ''Aladin'' was a setback. He had to approach several producers to finance him for ''Kahaani'', but was refused<ref name="abp 7 april ghosh" /> and discouraged from making the film owing to three factors: a pregnant woman as the lead star, a bunch of unknown Bengali actors as the supporting cast and Kolkata as a backdrop.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' everything that a film should not be: Sujoy Ghosh |publisher=Zee News |agency=PTI |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bollywood/kahaani-everything-that-a-film-should-not-be-sujoy-ghosh_109182.htm |url-status=live |access-date=10 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411001732/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bollywood/kahaani-everything-that-a-film-should-not-be-sujoy-ghosh_109182.htm |archive-date=11 April 2012}}</ref> [[Yashraj Films]] were willing to produce the film, but wanted Ghosh to sign a three-film deal, which he declined because he did not want that much commitment.<ref name="abp 7 april ghosh" />

Bengali film actor [[Prosenjit Chatterjee]] encouraged Ghosh to shoot in Kolkata.<ref name="KahaaniOfKahaani">{{Cite news |last=Shaikh |first=Ayaz |date=26 February 2012 |title=The story behind ''Kahaani'' |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/article324563.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100509/https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2012/feb/26/the-story-behind-kahaani-343912.html |archive-date=13 August 2022}}</ref> Ghosh finally selected Kolkata for several reasons: the director's acquaintance with the city, its mix of modernity and old-world charm,<ref name="KahaaniOfKahaani" /> and budget constraints. Kolkata is a cheaper location than Mumbai or Delhi, where most Bollywood films are shot.<ref name="moneycontrol ghosh iv">{{Cite news |date=4 April 2012 |title=If ''Kahaani'' failed I'd have to pack my bag & go: Sujoy Ghosh |publisher=Moneycontrol |agency=CNBC-TV18 |url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/entertainment/if-kahaani-failed-id-have-to-pack-my-baggo-sujoy-ghosh_689018.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407065305/http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/entertainment/if-kahaani-failed-id-have-to-pack-my-baggo-sujoy-ghosh_689018.html |archive-date=7 April 2012}}</ref>

Ghosh admitted in an interview that after his two preceding directorial ventures—''Aladin'' and ''[[Home Delivery]]'' (2005)—performed poorly at the box office, ''Kahaani'' was his last chance to create a niche as a director.<ref name="ibn ghosh interview flop">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaNZSI4zX2o |title=Rajeev Masand interview with director Sujoy Ghosh on ''Kahaani'' |date=March 2012 |type=Television production |publisher=CNN-IBN |time=1:25 |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712021551/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaNZSI4zX2o |archive-date=12 July 2015 |url-status=live |people=Ghosh, Sujoy}}</ref> He added that the film's plot twist came somewhat accidentally. Having described the skeleton of the story to a friend during its development, the friend called him back a few days later to enquire about his film. The friend had mistakenly imagined sequences which he assumed to be parts of the plot, from which the twist ending was derived.<ref name="ibn ghosh interview twist">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaNZSI4zX2o |title=Rajeev Masand interview with director Sujoy Ghosh on ''Kahaani'' |date=March 2012 |type=Television production |publisher=CNN-IBN |time=4:10 |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712021551/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaNZSI4zX2o |archive-date=12 July 2015 |url-status=live |people=Ghosh, Sujoy}}</ref>

=== Casting ===
According to [[Jyothika]], she was initially offered the role of Vidya Bagchi, but declined;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=S. Shiva |date=14 May 2015 |title=On a different pitch: Jyothika |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/On-a-different-pitch/article61451671.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813095937/https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/On-a-different-pitch/article61451671.ece |archive-date=13 August 2022}}</ref> the role eventually went to [[Vidya Balan]].<ref name="real life znews" /><ref name="Ghosh@ZN">{{Cite news |date=10 February 2012 |title=''Aladdin'' flopped as I failed to tell a story: Sujoy Ghosh |publisher=Zee News |agency=IANS |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/aladdin-flopped-as-i-failed-to-tell-a-story-sujoy-ghosh_105652.htm |url-status=live |access-date=6 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100506/https://zeenews.india.com/ |archive-date=13 August 2022}}</ref> Unimpressed with the plot outline, Vidya refused, only changing her mind after having read the completed script.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 February 2012 |title=Vidya played choosy before saying yes for ''Kahaani'' |publisher=Zee News |agency=IANS |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-played-choosy-before-saying-yes-for-kahaani_105993.htm |url-status=live |access-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320180611/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-played-choosy-before-saying-yes-for-kahaani_105993.htm |archive-date=20 March 2012}}</ref>

Ghosh chose mostly Bengali actors as he wanted to make the characters as authentic as possible.<ref name="Sujoy on toes @ HT">{{Cite news |last=Ghosh |first=Debasmita |date=9 March 2012 |title=I wanted to be on my toes: Sujoy Ghosh |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/I-wanted-to-be-on-my-toes-Sujoy-Ghosh/Article1-822989.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=22 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522041236/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/I-wanted-to-be-on-my-toes-Sujoy-Ghosh/Article1-822989.aspx |archive-date=22 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="inside Story @ Hindu">{{Cite news |last=Dundoo |first=Sangeetha |date=17 March 2012 |title=The inside story |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article3006073.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=22 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421131025/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article3006073.ece |archive-date=21 April 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The role of the Inspector Satyoki "Rana" Sinha was first offered to [[Chandan Roy Sanyal]], but he could not take the part due to other commitments.<ref name="Team Tolly @ TT" /> Parambrata Chatterjee, a [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali actor]] whose acting in the film ''[[The Bong Connection]]'' (2006) had impressed Ghosh at the [[Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image]] festival, was later offered the role in ''Kahaani''.<ref name="Parambrata@Rediff">{{Cite web |last=N |first=Patcy |date=16 March 2012 |title=Meet the other hero of ''Kahaani'' |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-interview-with-parambrata-chatterjee/20120316.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317155741/http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-interview-with-parambrata-chatterjee/20120316.htm |archive-date=17 March 2012 |access-date=16 March 2012 |publisher=[[Rediff]]}}</ref> Chatterjee had earlier worked with Vidya in her début film ''[[Bhalo Theko]]'' (2003).<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 March 2012 |title=Vidya Balan my best co-star: Parambrata Chatterjee |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=PTI |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-23/news-interviews/31229680_1_vidya-balan-sujoy-ghosh-film-kahaani |url-status=dead |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921104822/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-23/news-interviews/31229680_1_vidya-balan-sujoy-ghosh-film-kahaani |archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

The casting director Roshmi Banerjee suggested Nawazuddin Siddiqui for the role of Khan. Siddiqui, who had only had minor roles in Bollywood up to that time, was surprised that for the first time he would not have to portray a beggar.<ref name="abp 7 april ghosh" /> Saswata Chatterjee, another Bengali actor, was surprised as well when he was offered the role of the contract killer Bob Biswas. He thought there were suitable actors in Hindi film industry for the role.<ref name="pheno 3 ibn">{{Cite news |last=Chatterjee |first=Rituparna |date=3 April 2012 |title=Bob Biswas: Saswata Chatterjee, the man behind the cult assassin |publisher=CNN-IBN |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/politicians-beware-bob-biswas-says-ek-minute/245154-8-66.html |url-status=dead |access-date=10 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405022534/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/politicians-beware-bob-biswas-says-ek-minute/245154-8-66.html |archive-date=5 April 2012}}</ref> He said that Ghosh had known him since childhood and was impressed with his acting, so he wanted him as Bob Biswas.<ref name="toi 30march12chatterjee">{{Cite news |date=30 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' is my huge break: Saswata Chatterjee |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-30/news-interviews/31255182_1_mobile-phone-bald-patch-character |url-status=dead |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126075240/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-30/news-interviews/31255182_1_mobile-phone-bald-patch-character |archive-date=26 January 2013}}</ref>

Ghosh went against the expectations of casting a popular actor from Bollywood. He signed Bengali actor Abir Chatterjee to play Vidya's husband. According to Ghosh, popular Bollywood actors were not willing to work with him after his two previous flops. He also believed that audience might expect more screen-time from a better-known actor.<ref name="Sujoy @ India West">{{Cite web |last=Vijayakar |first=R.M |date=19 March 2012 |title=Sujoy Ghosh: ''Kahaani'' could be the story of any mother |url=http://indiawest.com/news/3597-sujoy-ghosh-kahaani-could-be-the-story-of-any-mother.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512171352/http://indiawest.com/news/3597-sujoy-ghosh-kahaani-could-be-the-story-of-any-mother.html |archive-date=12 May 2012 |access-date=22 May 2012 |publisher=India West}}</ref> Several other Bengali film and television actors, such as Indraneil Sengupta and Kharaj Mukherjee, were cast in supporting roles.<ref name="Team Tolly @ TT">{{Cite news |date=16 March 2012 |title=The ''Kahaani'' of team tolly |work=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]] |location=Calcutta, India |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120316/jsp/entertainment/story_15255285.jsp |url-status=dead |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322220245/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120316/jsp/entertainment/story_15255285.jsp |archive-date=22 March 2012}}</ref>

=== Characters ===
Before the shooting of the film began, Vidya started to use a prosthetic belly to look as close to authentically pregnant as possible. According to news reports, she met doctors and pregnant women to learn about the typical lifestyle and nuances of a pregnant woman, and also made lists of rules and superstitions followed by pregnant women.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 January 2012 |title=Vidya Balan gets into character of pregnant woman for ''Kahaani'' |publisher=Zee News |agency=[[Asian News International]] (ANI) |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-balan-gets-into-character-of-pregnant-woman-for-kahaani_104909.htm |url-status=live |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201033124/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-balan-gets-into-character-of-pregnant-woman-for-kahaani_104909.htm |archive-date=1 February 2012}}</ref> Vidya said that during her college days she often used to imitate pregnant ladies during stand-up acting among friends, an experience that helped her during the shooting.<ref name="cakewalk">{{Cite news |date=11 January 2012 |title=Playing pregnant woman was cakewalk for Vidya Balan |work=India Today |agency=IANS |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vidya-balan-the-dirty-picutre-kahaani-paa-heyy-babyy/1/168320.html |url-status=live |access-date=3 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111103132/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vidya-balan-the-dirty-picutre-kahaani-paa-heyy-babyy/1/168320.html |archive-date=11 January 2014}}</ref>

While briefing Saswata Chatterjee about his character, the cold-blooded killer Bob Biswas, Ghosh used the phrase ''"Binito Bob"'' (meaning polite Bob), which crystallised the notion of Bob's manners. Further discussions led to the inclusion of paunch and a bald patch. Chatterjee devised the mannerism of rubbing his nails together as some Indians believe doing that helps prevent hair loss. The mannerism was well-noted and praised by the viewers.<ref name="toi 30march12chatterjee" /> Ghosh was surprised at how Bob Biswas was greeted by fans as a cult figure. He emphasised that the deliberate ordinariness of Bob Biswas was portrayed so convincingly by Chatterjee that the viewers can expect Bob to be around them at any time and any place.<ref name="Pop art on Saswata # TOI">{{Cite news |last=Mukherjee |first=Roshni |date=22 March 2012 |title=Pop art on Saswata Chatterjee's character |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-22/news-interviews/31224239_1_sujoy-ghosh-fan-frenzy-character |url-status=dead |access-date=11 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203211309/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-22/news-interviews/31224239_1_sujoy-ghosh-fan-frenzy-character |archive-date=3 February 2014}}</ref>

Parambrata Chatterjee said in an interview that he did not identify with the Rana character, owing to the difference between his own urban upbringing and Rana's rural background.<ref name="param ready">{{Cite news |last=Nivas |first=Namita |date=23 March 2012 |title=I'm not thinking of a future in Bollywood: Parambrata Chatterjee |work=The Indian Express |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/im-not-thinking-of-future-in-bollywood-parambrata-chatterjee/927457/0 |url-status=live |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100509/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/im-not-thinking-of-future-in-bollywood-parambrata-chatterjee/ |archive-date=13 August 2022}}</ref> Chatterjee visited police stations and did some research "on their work, mindset and other relevant things" to prepare for the role.<ref name="param ready" /> The character Khan was envisaged as a ruthless, arrogant, expletive-spewing officer who cares nothing about the emotional or social consequences of his behaviour.<ref name="ghosh starananda interview khan">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtNMKGLGbCU |title=Sujoy Ghosh, director of ''Kahaani'', exclusive interview with Star Ananda |date=March 2012 |type=Television production |language=bn |publisher=Star Ananda |time=8:15 |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711015401/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtNMKGLGbCU |archive-date=11 July 2015 |url-status=live |people=Ghosh, Sujoy |url-access=registration}}</ref> Siddiqui said that he was surprised on being offered the role, and wondered how he could portray the arrogance needed for the character.<ref name="siddiqui prep">{{Cite news |last=Dasgupta |first=Priyanka |date=15 March 2012 |title=Nawazuddin Siddiqui on a roll |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Nawazuddin-Siddiqui-on-a-roll/articleshow/12273536.cms |url-status=live |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928034449/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-15/news-interviews/31196319_1_roles-actors-sarfarosh |archive-date=28 September 2013}}</ref> Ghosh built Khan as a character with lean physical build but full of mental strength, loyalty and patriotism. Khan smokes a relatively cheap brand of cigarette ([[Gold Flake]]) despite his high official post; Siddiqui had smoked that brand of cigarette throughout his struggling days in Bollywood and thereafter.<ref name="abp 7 april ghosh" />

=== Filming ===
[[File:Sindur khela vermilion dashami durga puja bengali.jpg|thumb|The climax showed ''Sindoor khela'', a ritual on the last day of [[Durga Puja]] in which married women smear each other's face with ''[[sindoor]]'' (vermilion).| alt=One woman smearing the face of another with vermilion]]
Filming took place on the streets of Kolkata, where Ghosh often employed the art of [[guerrilla filmmaking]] (shooting in real locations without any previous knowledge given to onlookers) to avoid unwanted attention.<ref name="GhoshInterview">{{Cite news |date=15 March 2012 |title=Vidya Balan is a character driven actress: Sujoy Ghosh |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Vidya-Balan-is-a-character-driven-actress-Sujoy-Ghosh/etarticleshow/12218292.cms |url-status=live |access-date=11 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224121229/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-11/news-interviews/31145194_1_kahaani-sujoy-ghosh-aladin |archive-date=24 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 March 2013 |title=Ghanchakkar: Vidya Balan Takes On The Crowds...Again |url=http://businessofcinema.com/news/ghanchakkar-vidya-balan-takes-on-the-crowds-again/64019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616023421/http://businessofcinema.com/news/ghanchakkar-vidya-balan-takes-on-the-crowds-again/64019 |archive-date=16 June 2013 |access-date=14 June 2013 |publisher=Business of Cinema}}</ref> The cinematographer Setu, who had assisted others in the past to shoot documentaries in Kolkata, said that unlike majority of Indian films, ''Kahaani'' was shot mostly without artificial light.<ref name="setu iv">{{Cite magazine |last=Sharma |first=Devesh |date=3 July 2012 |title=Kolkata's night rider |url=http://www.filmfare.com/interviews/kolkatas-night-rider-758.html |url-status=live |magazine=Filmfare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121205104151/http://www.filmfare.com/interviews/kolkatas-night-rider-758.html |archive-date=5 December 2012 |access-date=26 May 2013}}</ref> The film was shot in 64 days,<ref name="Cakewalk @ ZN">{{Cite news |date=11 January 2012 |title=Playing pregnant woman was cakewalk for Vidya |publisher=Zee News |agency=IANS |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/playing-pregnant-woman-was-cakewalk-for-vidya_103659.htm |url-status=live |access-date=21 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115070219/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/playing-pregnant-woman-was-cakewalk-for-vidya_103659.htm |archive-date=15 January 2012}}</ref> during which the Durga Puja festival of 2010 took place. Shooting locations in Kolkata included [[Kalighat]] Metro station, Nonapukur tram depot,{{efn|A [[Calcutta Tramways Company]] workshop on Bijli Road in Kolkata.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nair |first=P. Thankappan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o40cAAAAMAAJ |title=A history of Calcutta's streets |publisher=Firma KLM |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-8364-1934-4 |page=216 |oclc=18309970}}</ref>}} [[Kumartuli]], [[Howrah Bridge]], [[Victoria Memorial]], old houses of North Kolkata and others.<ref name="dasguptatoi152012" /><ref name="InExp2612">{{Cite news |date=6 February 2012 |title=Vidya Balan's 'Ami Shotti Bolchi' dedicated to Kolkata |work=The Indian Express |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ami-shotti-bolchi-dedicated-to-kolkata-sujoy-ghosh/908494/ |access-date=30 March 2013}}</ref> The climax, which takes place on the night of [[Vijayadashami]] (the last day of Durga Puja), was shot on the night of Vijayadashami in the premises of a ''[[Barowari]]'' (publicly organised) Durga Puja celebration in the [[Ballygunge]] neighbourhood of Kolkata. Most of the crowd in the climax were not actors. Some actors mingled with the crowd engaged in ''Sindoor khela''{{efn|''Sindoor khela'' is a ritual on Vijayadashami in which married women anoint each others' faces with ''sindoor'' (vermilion).<ref name="sindur book">{{Cite book |last1=Foulston |first1=Lynn |url=https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesbe0000foul |title=Hindu goddesses: beliefs and practices |last2=Abbott |first2=Stuart |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-902210-43-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesbe0000foul/page/167 167] |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="sindur dna">{{Cite news |last=Shukla |first=Ashutosh |date=24 October 2012 |title=Bidding Durga goodbye: roll up your sleeves for Sindoor Khela |work=Daily News and Analysis |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_bidding-durga-goodbye-roll-up-your-sleeves-for-sindoor-khela_1755578 |access-date=1 April 2013}}</ref>}}—their job was to appreciate the camera angles and accordingly apply ''[[sindoor]]'' (vermilion) on Vidya's face so that accidental exposure of her eyes to ''sindoor'' could be avoided.<ref name="abp 7 april ghosh">{{Cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Sujoy |date=7 April 2012 |title=Kahaani |trans-title=Story |url=http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1120407/7enter.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412003648/http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1120407/7enter.html |archive-date=12 April 2012 |access-date=8 April 2012 |website=[[Anandabazar Patrika]] |language=bn}}</ref>

Ghosh chose the guest house in which the protagonist stays after noticing it during his visit to a neighbouring hotel in April 2010. He booked it for 10 days for {{INRConvert|40|k}}, and requested the guest-house employees to keep the shooting schedule a secret. Choosing a room with windows overlooking a busy road, he proceeded to give it an old-fashioned look by replacing the windows' designer grilles with old-fashioned wooden ones, and by painting the room with some rough patches.<ref name="StarChamber">{{Cite news |last=Basak |first=Probal |date=25 March 2012 |title=Star chamber |work=[[Business Standard]] |url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/star-chamber/468894/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100510/https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/star-chamber-112032500011_1.html |archive-date=13 August 2022}}</ref>

== Themes and influences ==
After ''[[Ishqiya]]'' (2010), ''[[No One Killed Jessica]]'' (2011) and ''[[The Dirty Picture]]'' (2011), ''Kahaani'' was Vidya's fourth [[women's film|woman-centric film]] to win widespread praise for her unconventional approach to portraying strong female roles.<ref name="VidyaStrikeGold@ZN">{{Cite news |date=5 March 2012 |title=Will Vidya strike gold again with ''Kahaani''? |publisher=Zee News |agency=IANS |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/will-vidya-stike-gold-again-with-kahaani_107075.htm |url-status=live |access-date=28 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100507/https://zeenews.india.com/ |archive-date=13 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="Kahaani Rave Reviews">{{Cite web |date=11 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' receives rave reviews from film critics |url=http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/features/2012/kahaani-rave-reviews-critics-verdict-110312.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130218053601/http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/features/2012/kahaani-rave-reviews-critics-verdict-110312.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 February 2013 |access-date=11 March 2012 |publisher=OneIndia.in }}</ref><ref name="firstlook">{{Cite news |date=1 December 2011 |title=First look: Vidya Balan in ''Kahaani'' |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/FIRST-LOOK-Vidya-Balan-in-Kahaani/Article1-776399.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=1 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201102738/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/FIRST-LOOK-Vidya-Balan-in-Kahaani/Article1-776399.aspx |archive-date=1 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rao |first=Meenakshi |date=10 March 2012 |title=No ordinary ''Kahaani'' |work=[[The Pioneer (Indian newspaper)|The Pioneer]] |url=http://archive.dailypioneer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48714:no-ordinary-kahaani&catid=346:show-time |url-status=dead |access-date=6 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211111647/http://archive.dailypioneer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48714%3Ano-ordinary-kahaani&catid=346%3Ashow-time |archive-date=11 February 2014}}</ref> According to [[Zee News]], ''Kahaani'' is a woman's film about "role reversals, breaking of stereotypes, turning clichés inside out, a woman's journey, and the way she carves a niche for herself in the male-dominated mentalscape of the society."<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2012 |title=Vidya's ''Kahaani'' has a 'male' heroine! |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-s-kahaani-has-a-male-heroine_107445.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323014627/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-s-kahaani-has-a-male-heroine_107445.htm |archive-date=23 March 2012 |access-date=21 March 2012 |publisher=Zee News}}</ref> Trisha Gupta of ''[[The Indian Express]]'' also finds feminist themes in the film.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gupta |first=Trisha |date=19 March 2012 |title=She belongs to the city |work=The Indian Express |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/she-belongs-to-the-city/925371/0 |url-status=live |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100510/https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/she-belongs-to-the-city/ |archive-date=13 August 2022}}</ref> For Ghosh, one aspect of his project "is a study of motherhood"; the instinct of a mother to protect her baby inspired him to develop the story.<ref name="Sujoy@Rediff">{{Cite web |last=Pathak |first=Ankur |date=6 March 2012 |title=There are two heroes in ''Kahaani'': Vidya Balan and Kolkata |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-sujoy-ghosh-vidya-balan-is-the-hero-of-my-film/20120306.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313003614/http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-sujoy-ghosh-vidya-balan-is-the-hero-of-my-film/20120306.htm |archive-date=13 March 2012 |access-date=16 March 2012 |publisher=Rediff}}</ref>

A recurring theme is the fleeting hint of romance between Rana and Vidya. Ghosh said that this delicate romance was "the most progressive thing" in the film—a suggestion that a man could fall in love with a pregnant woman. The director explained that the boy was initially "fascinated by someone who is literally a hero in his eyes", as Rana was awed by the computer skills of Vidya. Gradually, the fascinated boy moves into a zone where he tries to protect her.<ref name="ibn ghosh interview romance">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaNZSI4zX2o |title=Rajeev Masand interview with director Sujoy Ghosh on ''Kahaani'' |date=March 2012 |last=Ghosh, Sujoy |type=Television production |publisher=CNN-IBN |time=2:07 |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712021551/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaNZSI4zX2o |archive-date=12 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Traffic in Kolkata.jpg|thumb|left|A road in Kolkata showing congested traffic and yellow taxis. The skillful portrayal of the city in the film was noted by reviewers.|alt=A road in Kolkata showing congested traffic and yellow taxis]]

Some reviewers note that a major protagonist is Kolkata itself, which is "brimming with warm, sympathetic inhabitants".<ref name="rediff Review" /> A review in Rediff.com notes that the director pays a "fond yet understated tribute" to the city by incorporating imagery such as "yellow taxis, leisurely trams, congested traffic, claustrophobic metros, dilapidated brick houses, tapering alleys, rajnigandhas,{{efn|''Rajanigandha'' ([[tuberose]]) flowers are used in religious and social events in India.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=A. K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bfb1T6QbfaAC&pg=PA4 |title=Flower crops: cultivation and management |date=1 January 2006 |publisher=New India Publishing |isbn=978-81-89422-35-6 |page=4 |access-date=18 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622030836/https://books.google.com/books?id=Bfb1T6QbfaAC&pg=PA4 |archive-date=22 June 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} lal paad saris,{{efn|''Lal paad sari'', meaning [[sari]] with red border, usually white sari with red border, is traditionally considered auspicious and worn in many religious or social occasions in [[Bengali culture]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Haque |first1=Enamul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcWfAAAAMAAJ |title=Kalhār (white water-lily): studies in art, iconography, architecture, and archaeology of India and Bangladesh |last2=Bhattacharya |first2=Gouriswar |date=1 March 2007 |publisher=Kaveri Books |isbn=978-81-7479-080-4 |page=130 |access-date=18 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622030836/https://books.google.com/books?id=wcWfAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=22 June 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} piping hot luchis".{{efn|''[[Luchi]]'' is a deep-fried [[flatbread]] made of wheat flour, typical of [[Bengali cuisine|Bengali]] and some other cuisines. It is often eaten with a potato curry or a ''[[dal]]'' made of yellow split-peas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Banerji |first=Chitrita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XfjOQfPtmw0C&pg=PA71 |title=Eating India: an Odyssey into the food and culture of the land of spices |date=10 December 2008 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-59691-712-5 |page=71}}</ref>}} According to the reviewer, ''Kahaani'' did not depend on the tropes of Kolkata culture typically used in Bollywood film—"O-emphasizing accent, dramatic play of conch shells, [[rasgulla]]/[[mishti doi]] excesses."<ref name="rediff Review" /> The director acknowledges that Kolkata "becomes a central character" of the film.<ref name="dasguptatoi152012">{{Cite news |last=Dasgupta |first=Priyanka |date=15 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' takes Kolkata beyond cliches |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-15/news-interviews/31196364_1_kolkata-durga-puja-onir |url-status=dead |access-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126050458/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-15/news-interviews/31196364_1_kolkata-durga-puja-onir |archive-date=26 January 2013}}</ref> Gautaman Bhaskaran, writing for ''[[Gulf Times]]'',<ref name="gautaman gt 14 March 2012" /> notes that Kolkata imagery was polished up in the film; noted Bengali director [[Srijit Mukherji]] argues that the portrayal of the city in ''Kahaani'' was akin to a "[[Lonely Planet]] exotica" on the city.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ojha |first=Satadru |date=24 March 2012 |title=Hemlock is far from a morbid film: Srijit Mukherji |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-24/news-interviews/31233578_1_srijit-mukherji-films-shooting/3 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026100002/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-24/news-interviews/31233578_1_srijit-mukherji-films-shooting/3 |archive-date=26 October 2013}}</ref> Uddalak Mukherjee of ''The Telegraph'' explains that Kolkata in ''Kahaani'' was cosmetic and lacked a deep menacing presence.<ref name="mukherjee TT 4 December 2012" /> Mukherjee argues the depiction of the city never matches the level of [[Satyajit Ray]]'s [[Pratidwandi#Legacy|Calcutta trilogy]], where "aided by bloodshed, greed and decadence,&nbsp;...Calcutta&nbsp;..., even though a place of dreams, desires and hope, slides irreversibly into chaos, anxiety and a moral crisis, taking its residents with it".<ref name="mukherjee TT 4 December 2012" />

[[File:Pratima Visarjan by Gaganendranath Tagore.png|thumb|upright|The colour scheme of ''Kahaani'' was inspired by the painting ''Pratima Visarjan'' by [[Gaganendranath Tagore]].|alt=A painting by Gaganendranath Tagore depicting the color inspiration of the film]]
[[File:DurgaPuja2016 - Procession for Immersion of Idol 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Contemporary Durga Idol procession in Kolkata, 2016]]

Durga Puja, the autumnal festival to worship goddess [[Durga]], plays a prominent role in the story.<ref name="mukherjee TT 4 December 2012">{{Cite news |last=Mukherjee |first=Uddalak |date=12 April 2012 |title=A tale of two cities |work=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta, India |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120412/jsp/opinion/story_15361368.jsp#.T6lsl9kqxJF |url-status=dead |access-date=8 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110170856/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120412/jsp/opinion/story_15361368.jsp |archive-date=10 January 2014}}</ref> The allegorical yearly return of goddess Durga to slay the demon [[Mahishasura]] is alluded to at the end of the film.<ref name="mukherjee TT 4 December 2012" /> According to Uddalak Mukherjee of ''The Telegraph'', "Durga Puja, with its [[paraphernalia]] of idols, immersion processions, ''[[pandals]]'', even an entire crowd of women draped in white ''saris'' with red borders, is central to the film's&nbsp;... visual aesthetic."<ref name="mukherjee TT 4 December 2012" /> A review in Rediff.com praised the depiction of the festivities in Kolkata, a city well known for its celebration of Durga Puja.<ref name="rediff Review" />

Ghosh acknowledges the allusions to Ray's films. In one scene, Vidya asks the manager of the guest house why there is no hot water although the signboard had claimed "running hot water". The manager explains that the sign refers for his errand boy, who runs to deliver hot water in a kettle whenever required. This alludes to a similar scene in Ray's ''[[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]]'' (1979).<ref name="anandabazreview">{{Cite web |last=Bandyopadhyay |first=Jagari |date=17 March 2012 |title=Asamanya |trans-title=Extraordinary |url=http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1120317/17cine1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322045703/http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1120317/17cine1.html |archive-date=22 March 2012 |access-date=18 March 2012 |website=Anandabazar Patrika |language=bn}}</ref> In an interview with ''The Telegraph'', Ghosh says that the way Vidya looks out and moves from window to window in the guest-house room is reminiscent of Ray's ''[[Charulata]]'' (1964), where the actress [[Madhabi Mukherjee]] enjoys glimpses of the outside world through the blinds of windows. He also acknowledges the influence of ''[[Mahanagar]]'' (1963), another Ray film noted for its portrayal of Kolkata. According to the director, he was inspired by particular scenes of Ray's ''[[Nayak (1966 film)|Nayak]]'' (1966) to plan the portrayal of complex emotional issues between Vidya and the police officer Rana, especially Rana's awe in the presence of Vidya. Ghosh expresses his inspiration from Ray's ''[[Aranyer Dinratri]]'' (1970) in which Ray "wanted the audience to be inside the car with the four guys all the time. So the camera never leaves the car." Ghosh shot a similar scene, hoping the audience would become "like Vidya's fellow passenger."<ref name="gupta ghosh interview tt">{{Cite news |last=Gupta |first=Pratim D. |date=14 March 2012 |title=Salaam namaste |work=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta, India |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120314/jsp/entertainment/story_15245793.jsp |url-status=dead |access-date=18 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316180512/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120314/jsp/entertainment/story_15245793.jsp |archive-date=16 March 2012}}</ref>

Besides Ray's films, Ghosh also admits inspiration from what he calls "visually striking" films of the 1970s and 1980s, such as ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975).<ref name="gupta ghosh interview tt" /> Critics have compared the fake-pregnancy twist of ''Kahaani'' with the 2004 American psychological thriller ''[[Taking Lives (film)|Taking Lives]]''.<ref name="anandabazreview" /> The sequences towards the end that explain the missing pieces of the mystery were compared with ''[[The Usual Suspects]]'' (1995).<ref name="choprahindustan" /> Ghosh writes that the film was heavily influenced by the colour scheme of the ''Pratima Visarjan'', a c.1915 watercolour by the [[Bengal School of Art|Bengal School]] artist [[Gaganendranath Tagore]].<ref name="abp 7 april ghosh" />

== Soundtrack ==
{{Main|Kahaani (soundtrack)}}
The film score is composed by [[Clinton Cerejo]], whereas the soundtrack album is composed by [[Vishal–Shekhar]], and the lyrics for the film's six songs were written by [[Vishal Dadlani]], [[Anvita Dutt]] and Sandeep Srivastava. Several of [[R. D. Burman]]'s Hindi and Bengali compositions were used in the background. The album was released on 13 February 2012, subsequently on the [[Music download|digital music]] platform [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[iTunes]] India since its inception from mid-2012. The soundtrack received positive reviews, and was praised for its amalgamation of Bengali and Hindi lyrics.<ref name="apple release">{{Cite web |title=Kahaani (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |url=https://itunes.apple.com/in/album/kahaani-original-motion-picture/id507392970 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105115627/https://itunes.apple.com/in/album/kahaani-original-motion-picture/id507392970 |archive-date=5 November 2013 |access-date=9 October 2013 |website=Vishal–Shekhar |publisher=iTunes}}</ref>

== Marketing and release ==
''Kahaani''{{'}}s first-look poster was launched on 2 December 2011,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 December 2011 |title=First look: Vidya Balan in ''Kahaani'' |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/FIRST-LOOK-Vidya-Balan-in-Kahaani/Article1-776399.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=4 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522021907/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/FIRST-LOOK-Vidya-Balan-in-Kahaani/Article1-776399.aspx |archive-date=22 May 2012}}</ref> and the official trailer on 5 January 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 January 2012 |title=First look of Vidya Balan's ''Kahaani'' launched |publisher=NDTV |url=http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/first-look-of-vidya-balans-i-kahaani-i-launched/220329?sp |url-status=dead |access-date=4 May 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120903215447/http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/first-look-of-vidya-balans-i-kahaani-i-launched/220329?sp |archive-date=3 September 2012}}</ref> The poster, portraying a pregnant Vidya Balan and lacking any romantic element, was well received. Critics' expectations were low, owing to the director's previous box-office failures.<ref name="ibn rathnam 28march" /> Vidya appeared in public with a prosthetic belly to promote the film, and mingled with the public in railway stations, bus stands and markets.<ref name="ZNpromotion">{{Cite web |date=6 March 2012 |title=Vidya's Arnab Bagchi found! |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/vidya-s-arnab-bagchi-found_107140.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100508/https://zeenews.india.com/ |archive-date=13 August 2022 |access-date=26 March 2012 |publisher=Zee News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Trivedi |first=Tanvi |date=5 March 2012 |title=Vidya Balan to promote ''Kahaani'' in Ahmedabad |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Vidya-Balan-to-promote-Kahaani-in-Ahmedabad/articleshow/12146246.cms |url-status=live |access-date=9 April 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709211026/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-05/news-interviews/31123542_1_kahaani-vidya-balan-pregnant-woman |archive-date=9 July 2012}}</ref> She often carried a sketch of her on-screen missing husband, and asked people to help in finding him.<ref name="ZNpromotion" /><ref name="Vidya Story @ TT">{{Cite news |last1=Dutta |first1=Sneha |last2=Roy |first2=Priyanka |date=5 March 2012 |title=Vidya's story |work=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta, India |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120305/jsp/entertainment/story_15211741.jsp#.UZ7uTrVQHzw |url-status=dead |access-date=24 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509220143/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120305/jsp/entertainment/story_15211741.jsp |archive-date=9 May 2012}}</ref> Social-networking website [[Ibibo]].com developed an online game, ''The Great Indian Parking Wars'', which required players to park Vidya's taxi on a street; it was well-received, reaching 50,000 hits in 10 days.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 March 2012 |title=Vidya Balan's ''Kahaani'' hit among online gamers |publisher=Zee News |agency=IANS |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/and-more/vidya-balan-s-kahaani-hit-among-online-gamers_107968.htm |url-status=live |access-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322235701/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/and-more/vidya-balan-s-kahaani-hit-among-online-gamers_107968.htm |archive-date=22 March 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Vidya Balan at success bash of 'Kahaani'.jpg|thumb|Vidya (centre) and Chatterjee (to her right) celebrate the success of ''Kahaani''.|alt=Actress Vidya Balan cuts a cake celebrating the success of ''Kahaani'' while actor Parambrata Chatterjee watches, along with several others.]]
On 5 March 2012, prior to release, Kolkata Metro authorities objected to a scene in which Vidya is pushed by a man onto the tracks as a train arrives. They requested that the scene be removed, as it would remind people of the past suicides, which had tarnished the railway's image.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani''{{'}}s dream, Kolkata metro's nightmare |publisher=Zee News |agency=IANS |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/kahaani-s-dream-kolkata-metro-s-nightmare_107035.htm |url-status=live |access-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308002405/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/kahaani-s-dream-kolkata-metro-s-nightmare_107035.htm |archive-date=8 March 2012}}</ref> The filmmakers screened the scene for the authorities and explained that nothing in the film would affect the image of the Metro or prompt people to commit suicide. Convinced, the officials withdrew their objections, and the scene was retained, although it was removed from trailers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 March 2012 |title=Metro clears Vidya's scene in ''Kahaani'' |publisher=Zee News |agency=PTI |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/metro-clears-vidya-s-scene-in-kahaani_107083.htm |url-status=live |access-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308225920/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/metro-clears-vidya-s-scene-in-kahaani_107083.htm |archive-date=8 March 2012}}</ref>

''Kahaani'' was released on 9 March 2012, a day after [[International Women's Day]].<ref name="Motherhood@ZN">{{Cite news |date=8 March 2012 |title=Vidya's ''Kahaani'': a celebration of womanhood |publisher=Zee News |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/vidya-s-kahaani-a-celebration-of-womanhood_107271.htm |url-status=live |access-date=2 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411121950/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/vidya-s-kahaani-a-celebration-of-womanhood_107271.htm |archive-date=11 April 2012}}</ref> It played on 1100 screens worldwide.<ref name="75crore@IBN" /> CNN-IBN reported that although ''Kahaani'' was ready before ''The Dirty Picture'', distributors deferred its release, fearing that Vidya's role of a sexy siren (in ''The Dirty Picture'') after that of a pregnant woman might not be received well.<ref name="ibn rathnam 28march">{{Cite web |last=Rathnam |first=Shilpa |date=28 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'': The mother of a success story |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-the-mother-of-a-success-story/243546-8-66.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330212811/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-the-mother-of-a-success-story/243546-8-66.html |archive-date=30 March 2012 |access-date=28 March 2012 |publisher=CNN-IBN}}</ref> [[Star India|STAR TV]] bought the exclusive right to broadcast the film for a price of {{INRConvert|80|m}},<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baddhan |first=Lakh |date=5 April 2012 |title=Star TV acquires ''Kahaani'', ''Housefull 2'' & others |url=http://www.media247.co.uk/atlantic/star-tv-acquires-kahaani-housefull-2-others |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505074231/http://www.media247.co.uk/atlantic/star-tv-acquires-kahaani-housefull-2-others |archive-date=5 May 2013 |access-date=6 June 2012 |website=Biz Asia Atlantic |publisher=Media 247 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="TV Rights @ Youtube">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcmM4TCnEX4 |title=''Kahaani'''s tv rights sold for 8 crore |date=March 2012 |type=Television production |publisher=ZingTV |time=0:52 |access-date=6 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714034106/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcmM4TCnEX4 |archive-date=14 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> which was the highest-ever price paid for a female-centric film in India.<ref name="TV Rights @ Youtube" /> The Indian television premiere of the film was on [[STAR (India)|Star India's]] channel [[Movies OK]] on 3 June 2012.<ref name="Movies OK @ MSN">{{Cite web |date=29 May 2012 |title=Movies OK to dazzle viewers |url=http://entertainment.in.msn.com/tv/movies-ok-to-dazzle-viewers |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615192009/http://entertainment.in.msn.com/tv/movies-ok-to-dazzle-viewers |archive-date=15 June 2012 |access-date=7 June 2012 |publisher=MSN India}}</ref> The DVD of the film was released on 17 May 2012 across all regions in a one-disc pack in NTSC format.<ref name="DVD launch @ Youtube">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KDYwcnv4ho |title=Vidya Balan at ''Kahaani'' DVD launch |date=May 2012 |type=Television production |publisher=Mid Day |time=1:55 |access-date=22 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705204132/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KDYwcnv4ho |archive-date=5 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Distributed by [[Shemaroo Entertainment]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Kahaani'' (DVD) |url=http://www.greatdealworld.com/kahaani--p-3368.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216102451/http://www.greatdealworld.com/kahaani--p-3368.html |archive-date=16 December 2012 |access-date=22 May 2012 |website=[[Shemaroo Entertainment]] |publisher=Great Deal World}}</ref> it contained additional content, such as behind-the-scene footage, video of celebration parties after its theatrical release, and music videos of the songs of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kahaani |url=https://www.amazon.in/Kahaani-Parambrata-Chatterjee/dp/B007Y5ZTGY |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209182412/https://www.amazon.in/Kahaani-Parambrata-Chatterjee/dp/B007Y5ZTGY |archive-date=9 February 2018 |access-date=9 February 2018 |publisher=Amazon.in}}</ref> The [[VCD]] and [[Blu-ray]] versions were released at the same time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Kahaani'' (VCD) |url=http://www.greatdealworld.com/kahaani--p-3369.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621105913/http://www.greatdealworld.com/kahaani--p-3369.html |archive-date=21 June 2015 |access-date=22 May 2012 |website=Shemaroo Entertainment |publisher=Great Deal World}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=''Kahaani'' (Blu-ray) |url=http://www.greatdealworld.com/kahaani--p-3370.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621170617/http://www.greatdealworld.com/kahaani--p-3370.html |archive-date=21 June 2015 |access-date=22 May 2012 |website=Shemaroo Entertainment |publisher=Great Deal World}}</ref> The film is also available on [[Netflix]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kahaani |url=https://www.netflix.com/in/title/70236020 |access-date=3 September 2019 |website=Netflix }}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== Reception ==

=== Critical response ===
''Kahaani'' received critical acclaim. According to review aggregator ''Review Gang'' the film received a rating of 7.5 out of 10,<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Kahaani'' movie review |url=http://www.reviewgang.com/movies/225-Kahaani-Review |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310083455/http://www.reviewgang.com/movies/225-Kahaani-Review |archive-date=10 March 2012 |access-date=9 March 2012 |publisher=Review Gang}}</ref> based on the reviews by professional critics. Good [[word of mouth]] publicity played a part in its popularity besides the positive reviews.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dubey |first=Bharati |date=19 March 2012 |title=Word-of-mouth promos pay off at box office |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-19/news-interviews/31209950_1_box-office-starrer-release |url-status=dead |access-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411033224/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-19/news-interviews/31209950_1_box-office-starrer-release |archive-date=11 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'', ''Paan Singh Tomar'' on a roll at box office |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/kahaani-paan-singh-tomar-on-a-roll-at-box-office-187827 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411111328/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/kahaani-paan-singh-tomar-on-a-roll-at-box-office-187827 |archive-date=11 April 2013 |access-date=23 March 2013 |publisher=NDTV}}</ref> ''[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]]'' called the film "a mind-juggling medley of manipulation masquerading as a 'mother of a story'".<ref name="telegraph review">{{Cite news |last=Gupta |first=Pratim D. |date=10 March 2012 |title=What a ''Kahaani'' |work=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta, India |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120310/jsp/entertainment/story_15231247.jsp#.T3F0dEoQgrU |url-status=dead |access-date=27 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313013944/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120310/jsp/entertainment/story_15231247.jsp |archive-date=13 March 2012}}</ref> [[Taran Adarsh]] of [[Bollywood Hungama]] gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, and praised Vidya's acting.<ref name="bh score">{{Cite news |last=Adarsh |first=Taran |date=8 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' movie review |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/542221 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310001958/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/542221 |archive-date=10 March 2012}}</ref> ''[[The Times of India]]'' commented "Once again, a 'pregnant' Vidya, ironically displays more 'male ornaments'&nbsp;... than most heroes."<ref name="toi review">{{Cite news |last=Mukherjee |first=Madhureeta |date=8 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' movie review |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Kahaani/movie-review/12188039.cms |url-status=live |access-date=8 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308172450/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Kahaani/movie-review/12188039.cms |archive-date=8 March 2012}}</ref> The reviews in [[Rediff]],<ref name="rediff Review">{{Cite web |last=Verma |first=Sukanya |date=9 March 2012 |title=Review: Vidya Balan rocks in ''Kahaani'' |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-vidya-balan-rocks-in-kahaani/20120309.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311222230/http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-vidya-balan-rocks-in-kahaani/20120309.htm |archive-date=11 March 2012 |access-date=9 March 2012 |publisher=Rediff}}</ref> [[Indo-Asian News Service|Indo Asian News Service]],<ref name="ians score">{{Cite news |last=Jha |first=Subhash K. |date=9 March 2012 |title=Review: ''Kahaani'' |publisher=NDTV |agency=IANS |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_review.aspx?id=689 |url-status=dead |access-date=5 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416035934/http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_review.aspx?id=689 |archive-date=16 April 2012}}</ref> CNN-IBN,<ref name="cnnibn score">{{Cite news |last=Masand |first=Rajeev |date=10 March 2012 |title=Masand: A taut ''Kahaani'' is a delicious thriller |publisher=CNN-IBN |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masand-a-taut-kahaani-is-a-delicious-thriller/237674-47-84.html |url-status=dead |access-date=5 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413114323/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masand-a-taut-kahaani-is-a-delicious-thriller/237674-47-84.html |archive-date=13 April 2012}}</ref> Zee News,<ref name="ZeeNews">{{Cite web |last=Sen |first=Shomini |date=10 March 2012 |title=Review: Vidya, Kolkata in a never-seen-before avatar in ''Kahaani'' |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/review-vidya-kolkata-in-a-never-seen-before-avatar-in-kahaani_107278.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312023421/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/review-vidya-kolkata-in-a-never-seen-before-avatar-in-kahaani_107278.htm |archive-date=12 March 2012 |access-date=10 March 2012 |publisher=Zee News}}</ref> ''[[Hindustan Times]]'',<ref name="choprahindustan">{{Cite news |last=Chopra |first=Anupama |date=10 March 2012 |title=Anupama Chopra's review: ''Kahaani'' |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Anupama-Chopra-s-review-Kahaani/Article1-823366.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=17 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316232942/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Anupama-Chopra-s-review-Kahaani/Article1-823366.aspx |archive-date=16 March 2012}}</ref> and ''[[The Hindu]]''<ref name="hindu review">{{Cite news |last=Ravi |first=Balaji |date=14 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani''—Twists in the tale |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |url=http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article2994454.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=14 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316183409/http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article2994454.ece |archive-date=16 March 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> were unanimously positive, and noted script, direction, cinematography, and acting as strong points of the film. Noted film actress and multiple [[National Film Awards|National Award]] winner [[Shabana Azmi]] lauded Vidya for her performance,"As an actor, I could see she [Vidya] was making all the right moves throughout the film. There was not a single artificial note in her performance."<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 March 2012 |title=Vidya should avoid pitfall of doing central parts: Shabana |publisher=Zee News |agency=IANS |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-should-avoid-pitfall-of-doing-central-parts-shabana_107995.htm |url-status=live |access-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324093201/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/vidya-should-avoid-pitfall-of-doing-central-parts-shabana_107995.htm |archive-date=24 March 2012}}</ref> Russell Edwards, the reviewer for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', praised the cast, cinematography, and direction, and commented that despite occasional glitches, the "adroit thriller&nbsp;... maintains momentum and credibility."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Edwards |first=Russell |date=12 March 2012 |title=Kahaani |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/kahaani-1117947230/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110016/http://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/kahaani-1117947230/ |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

Many reviewers criticised the film's climax and certain features, feeling that they deviated from its general style. Rituparna Chatterjee of CNN-IBN noted that the climax of the film was a "huge dampener" and explained, "The diabolic twist at that juncture got underplayed&nbsp;... What follows is a sobfest&nbsp;... the apologetic explanation of why she does what she does. Justifying her action comes across more as an effort to appease the Indian morality".<ref name="chatterjeeibn3122012">{{Cite web |last=Chatterjee |first=Rituparna |date=12 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'': Why the film doesn't work for me |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-why-the-film-doesnt-work-for-me/238393-8-66.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314225924/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-why-the-film-doesnt-work-for-me/238393-8-66.html |archive-date=14 March 2012 |access-date=15 March 2012 |publisher=CNN-IBN}}</ref> The ''[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]'' review noted, "At times, ''Kahaani'' is too clever, at others extremely pedestrian like in the depiction of computer hacking and IB operations, not to speak of the ludicrous terrorist angle and the all-too predictable Durga Puja setting for that mythology tie-in."<ref name="joshioutlook">{{Cite web |last=Joshi |first=Namrata |date=26 March 2012 |title=Movie review: ''Kahaani'' |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?280230 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317171218/http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?280230 |archive-date=17 March 2012 |access-date=17 March 2012 |website=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref> It adds that the "spoon-feeding" of reasons at the end dampens the intrigue factor.<ref name="joshioutlook" /> The review in [[Yahoo!]] India comments that the Durga metaphor at the end was enforced, and that the film over-indulged in Bengali stereotypes.<ref name="yahoo review">{{Cite web |last=Guha |first=Kunal |date=8 March 2012 |title=Kahaani review |url=http://in.movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-reviews/kahaani-review-190252653.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020220401/http://in.movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-reviews/kahaani-review-190252653.html |archive-date=20 October 2013 |access-date=22 March 2013 |publisher=Yahoo India}}</ref> Gautaman Bhaskaran, in his review in ''Gulf Times'', noted that the sometimes-handheld photography was "as irksome as the plot with a sleuth too many and cops galore."<ref name="gautaman gt 14 March 2012">{{Cite news |last=Bhaskaran |first=Gautaman |date=14 March 2012 |title=The story of ''Kahaani'' |page=6 |work=Gulf Times |url=http://www.gautamanbhaskaran.com/gb/images/joy.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=15 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213009/http://www.gautamanbhaskaran.com/gb/images/joy.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>

=== Box office ===
Though ''Kahaani'' received critical acclaim, it was a slow starter at the box office, opening to a poor response on the first day,<ref name="BO1">{{Cite web |date=10 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' Friday business |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4138&nCat= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626145331/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4138&nCat= |archive-date=26 June 2012 |access-date=24 May 2013 |website=Box Office India}}</ref><ref name="BO2">{{Cite web |date=7 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' expected to lead ''Chaar Din Ki Chandni'' |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=4129&nCat= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626115429/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/npages.php?page=shownews&articleid=4129&nCat= |archive-date=26 June 2012 |access-date=24 May 2013 |website=Box Office India}}</ref> but gradually picking afterwards.<ref name="BO3">{{Cite web |date=18 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' is super hit: Heads for 45–50 crore |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4171&nCat= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627022250/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4171&nCat= |archive-date=27 June 2012 |access-date=5 April 2012 |website=Box Office India}}</ref> According to ''The Telegraph'', the film earned almost {{INRConvert|20|m}} from the state of West Bengal within the first three days of its release. At [[Multiplex (movie theater)|multiplexes]] in Kolkata, occupancy increased from 47% on Friday 9 March, the day of release, to 77% on 10 March and to around 97% on 11 March.<ref name="BO bullseye @ TT">{{Cite news |last=Roy |first=Priyanka |date=13 March 2012 |title='Bidya' hits BO bullseye—Calcutta's ''Kahaani'' is a word-of-mouth rage |work=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta, India |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120313/jsp/calcutta/story_15241893.jsp |url-status=dead |access-date=22 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421212245/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120313/jsp/calcutta/story_15241893.jsp |archive-date=21 April 2012}}</ref> [[Box Office India]], a website on Indian film trade, reported that the film collected nearly {{INRConvert|240|m}} in its first week, well beyond its production cost of {{INRConvert|80|m}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 March 2012 |title=Kahaani Week One Territorial Breakdown |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/overdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4174&nCat= |access-date=19 March 2012 |website=Box Office India}}</ref> It grossed {{INRConvert|190|m}} in second week to make a two-week total of around {{INRConvert|430|m}} in India;<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2012 |title=Kahaani Week Two Territorial Breakdown |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/overdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4202&nCat= |access-date=26 March 2012 |website=[[Box Office India]]}}</ref> this led Box Office India to declare the film a "Super Hit".<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 March 2012 |title=''Agent Vinod'' average opening ''Kahaani'' extraordinary week two |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/boxdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4192&nCat= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626153806/http://boxofficeindia.com/boxdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=4192&nCat= |archive-date=26 June 2012 |access-date=24 March 2012 |website=Box Office India}}</ref> The film was successful in the international box office as well, garnering {{INRConvert|80|m}} within 10 days of its release in seven markets—UK, US, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Pakistan, according to Bollywood Hungama, a film-related website.<ref name="adarsh overseas 20-3">{{Cite news |last=Adarsh |first=Taran |date=20 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' overtakes ''TDP'' in overseas |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/boxofficeoverseas/id/412 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430182542/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/boxofficeoverseas/id/412 |archive-date=30 April 2012}}</ref> By the third week, according to CNN-IBN, it had grossed {{INRConvert|750|m}}, including India and overseas market.<ref name="75crore@IBN">{{Cite web |date=23 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' grosses Rs 75 crore at the box office: The story behind the numbers |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-grosses-rs-75-crore-at-the-box-office/242076-8-66.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324183623/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-grosses-rs-75-crore-at-the-box-office/242076-8-66.html |archive-date=24 March 2012 |access-date=23 March 2012 |publisher=CNN-IBN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'': What's the story behind the numbers? |work=Firstpost |url=http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/kahaani-whats-the-story-behind-the-numbers-253056.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324132904/http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/kahaani-whats-the-story-behind-the-numbers-253056.html |archive-date=24 March 2012}}</ref> ''Hindustan Times'' reported that ''Kahaani'' made a worldwide gross of {{INRConvert|1044|m}} within 50 days of its release.<ref name="ht 50 gross" />

== Accolades ==
{{See also|List of accolades received by Kahaani}}
''Kahaani'' was nominated for, and won, many awards. The [[58th Filmfare Awards]] nominated the film for six of their categories, where it won five, including Best Actress for Vidya and Best Director for Ghosh.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=13 January 2013 |title=58th Idea Filmfare Awards nominations are here! |url=http://www.filmfare.com/news/58th-idea-filmfare-awards-nominations-are-here-2123.html |url-status=live |magazine=Filmfare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227075057/http://www.filmfare.com/news/58th-idea-filmfare-awards-nominations-are-here-2123.html |archive-date=27 December 2014 |access-date=23 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=20 January 2013 |title=Winners of 58th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012 |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrities/features/type/view/id/4432 |url-status=dead |access-date=23 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123055038/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrities/features/type/view/id/4432 |archive-date=23 January 2013}}</ref> ''Kahaani'' received thirteen nominations at the [[Screen Awards|19th&nbsp;Colors Screen Awards]], and won five, including Best Actress and Best Story.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 January 2013 |title=Winners of 19th Annual Colors Screen Awards |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4403 |url-status=dead |access-date=24 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925111241/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4403 |archive-date=25 September 2013}}</ref> At the [[Zee Cine Awards|14th Zee Cine Awards]], ''Kahaani'' won five awards, including Best Film (Critics) and Best Actress (Critics), out of fifteen nominations.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 December 2012 |title=Nominations for Zee Cine Awards 2013 |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4349 |url-status=dead |access-date=4 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102135744/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4349 |archive-date=2 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Winners of Zee Cine Awards 2013 |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4376/Winners+of+Zee+Cine+Awards+2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=14 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227090929/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4376/Winners%2Bof%2BZee%2BCine%2BAwards%2B2013 |archive-date=27 December 2013}}</ref> At the 2013 [[Stardust Awards]] ceremony, ''Kahaani'' was announced Hottest Film of the Year while Vidya received for the [[Stardust Award for Best Actress in a Thriller or Action|Best Actress in a Thriller or Action]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Winners of Stardust Awards 2013 |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4467 |url-status=dead |access-date=28 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131004218/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4467 |archive-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> ''Kahaani''  was awarded the Most Entertaining Film of the Year at the 3rd ceremony of the [[BIG Star Entertainment Awards]].<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Big Star Entertainment Awards 2012 |series=Big Star Entertainment Awards |network=[[STAR India]] |date=31 December 2012}}</ref> At the [[60th National Film Awards]], Ghosh won [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay (Original)]], Namrata Rao won [[National Film Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]], and Nawazuddin Siddiqui won a Special Jury award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 March 2013 |title=60th National Film Awards: The list of winners—IBN Live |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/60th-national-film-awards-the-list-of-winners/379590-8-66.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320134737/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/60th-national-film-awards-the-list-of-winners/379590-8-66.html |archive-date=20 March 2013 |access-date=19 March 2013 |publisher=CNN-IBN}}</ref>

== Remakes ==
Two remakes of ''Kahaani'' were released in 2014: a Telugu remake titled ''[[Anaamika (2014 film)|Anaamika]]'', and its Tamil version ''[[Nee Enge En Anbe]]'', both directed by [[Sekhar Kammula]] and featuring [[Nayantara]] as the lead character.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 May 2014 |title=Anamika Telugu movie review |url=http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2014-05-01/Anamika-Telugu-movie-review-93605 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525195107/http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2014-05-01/Anamika-Telugu-movie-review-93605 |archive-date=25 May 2014 |access-date=28 May 2014 |website=[[The Hans India]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1 May 2014 |title='Nee Enge En Anbe': Not mother of an adaptation (IANS Tamil Movie Review) |work=Sify |agency=IANS |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/nee-enge-en-anbe-not-mother-of-an-adaptation-ians-tamil-movie-review-news-national-ofbmuojbahj.html |url-status=dead |access-date=28 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140526005048/http://www.sify.com/movies/nee-enge-en-anbe-not-mother-of-an-adaptation-ians-tamil-movie-review-news-national-ofbmuojbahj.html |archive-date=26 May 2014}}</ref> An English-language remake, entitled ''Deity'' and intended to be directed by [[Niels Arden Oplev]], was scheduled to begin in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 July 2014 |title=YRF to remake of Kahaani in English as Deity |work=Bollywood Hungama |url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2586102/YRF-to-remake-of-Kahaani-in-English-as-Deity |url-status=dead |access-date=25 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726070742/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2586102/YRF-to-remake-of-Kahaani-in-English-as-Deity |archive-date=26 July 2014}}</ref>

== Impact ==
Following ''Kahaani''{{'}}s success, Kolkata became a preferred destination for [[Bollywood]] filmmakers.<ref name="abp 31aug12">{{Cite web |last=Roy |first=Indranil |date=31 August 2012 |title=Kolkata ghure ponchash dine "Gunde" gorbe Yashraj |trans-title=Yashraj will make "Gunde" in Kolkata in fifty days |url=http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1120831/31binodan1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901025658/http://anandabazar.com/archive/1120831/31binodan1.html |archive-date=1 September 2013 |access-date=31 August 2012 |website=Anandabazar Patrika |language=bn}}</ref><ref name="ht limelight">{{Cite news |date=12 March 2012 |title=Kahaani brings Kolkata back to limelight |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Kahaani-brings-Kolkata-back-to-limelight/Article1-824119.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=20 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108164859/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Kahaani-brings-Kolkata-back-to-limelight/Article1-824119.aspx |archive-date=8 November 2012}}</ref> They felt the landscapes of Mumbai and Delhi were overused for several decades, while Kolkata retained its unique visuals such as [[metro train]]s, rickety trams, [[Pulled rickshaw|hand-pulled rickshaws]], dingy bylanes, palatial mansions, dilapidated houses of North Kolkata, roadside eateries, ghats of river Ganga, British-era buildings, restaurants and iconic structures and areas including Howrah Bridge, Kalighat Temple, Nakhoda Mosque, Kumortuli idol-making district and [[Victoria Memorial (India)|Victoria Memorial]].<ref name="Kolkata_Limelight@ZN">{{Cite news |date=11 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' brings Kolkata back to limelight |publisher=Zee News |agency=PTI |url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/kahaani-brings-kolkata-back-to-limelight_107407.htm |url-status=live |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414004129/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/movies/kahaani-brings-kolkata-back-to-limelight_107407.htm |archive-date=14 April 2012}}</ref>

Monalisa Guest House, the lodge which hosted Vidya Bagchi in the film, became a local attraction.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 April 2012 |title=Single screen theatres resurface to tell Vidya's ''Kahaani'' |work=Hindustan Times |agency=IANS |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Single-screen-theatres-resurface-to-tell-Vidya-s-Kahaani/Article1-835430.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=5 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419202348/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Single-screen-theatres-resurface-to-tell-Vidya-s-Kahaani/Article1-835430.aspx |archive-date=19 April 2012}}</ref> Several hundreds have visited it since the film's release, to the extent that the owners planned to increase tariffs and renovate the rooms around a ''Kahaani'' theme.<ref name="StarChamber" />

The potbellied contract killer Bob Biswas became an [[Internet phenomenon]], the subject of several jokes and pieces of [[pop art]], which circulated through [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]].<ref name="pheno 1 ndtv">{{Cite news |date=3 April 2012 |title=''Kahaani''{{'}}s Bob Biswas a rage on FB, Twitter |publisher=NDTV |agency=PTI |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?Section=Movies&ID=ENTEN20120198515&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=bollywood&nid=193308 |url-status=dead |access-date=10 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406040702/http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?Section=Movies&ID=ENTEN20120198515&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=bollywood&nid=193308 |archive-date=6 April 2012}}</ref> "Nomoshkar, Aami Bob Biswas... Ek minute?" ("Hello, I am Bob Biswas... do you have a minute?")—the monologue he repeatedly uses just before murdering his victims—was used in different [[internet meme|memes]].<ref name="pheno 3 ibn" /> A [[graphic novel]] and a television show based on Bob Biswas were planned in March 2012.<ref name="pheno 4 toi">{{Cite news |last=Mukherjee |first=Roshni |date=22 March 2012 |title=Pop art on Saswata Chatterjee's character |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-22/news-interviews/31224239_1_sujoy-ghosh-fan-frenzy-character |url-status=dead |access-date=10 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203211309/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-22/news-interviews/31224239_1_sujoy-ghosh-fan-frenzy-character |archive-date=3 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="pheno 5 toi">{{Cite news |last=Jha |first=Subhash K. |date=12 April 2012 |title=Bob Biswas now on TV |work=[[The Times of India]] |agency=TNN |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-12/news-interviews/31330968_1_killer-kahaani-actor-saswata-chatterjee |url-status=dead |access-date=12 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802140412/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-12/news-interviews/31330968_1_killer-kahaani-actor-saswata-chatterjee |archive-date=2 August 2013}}</ref>

== Future ==
=== ''Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh'' ===
{{Main|Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh}}

In March 2012, Sujoy Ghosh announced that he intended to develop ''Kahaani'' into a series. He was inspired by Satyajit Ray's ''[[Feluda]]'' detective series and wanted to continue the stories of Vidya Bagchi on similar lines, with Vidya Balan reprising the role.<ref name="Jha franchise">{{Cite news |last=Jha |first=Subhash K. |date=16 March 2012 |title=''Kahaani'' to be a franchise? |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Kahaani-to-be-a-franchise/articleshow/12291600.cms |url-status=live |access-date=27 March 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103091310/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-16/news-interviews/31200857_1_sujoy-ghosh-s-kahaani-vidya-balan-franchise |archive-date=3 January 2013}}</ref> The shooting of ''Kahaani 2'' was scheduled to begin in 2013,<ref name="Kahaani 2 shooting schedule">{{Cite news |date=24 May 2013 |title=''Kahaani 2'' with Vidya Balan will hit the floors in 2013 |publisher=CNN-News18 |agency=IANS |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-2-shooting-to-start-in-2013/296067-8-66.html |url-status=dead |access-date=28 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001035447/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kahaani-2-shooting-to-start-in-2013/296067-8-66.html |archive-date=1 October 2012}}</ref> but in July 2013 differences arose between Sujoy Ghosh and other co-producers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trivedi |first=Dhiren |date=17 July 2013 |title=Why was Sujoy Ghosh kicked out of Kahaani 2? |url=http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/why-was-sujoy-ghosh-kicked-out-from-kahaani-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503134203/http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/why-was-sujoy-ghosh-kicked-out-from-kahaani-2/ |archive-date=3 May 2014 |access-date=17 July 2014 |website=Bollywoodlife}}</ref> In February 2014, Vidya announced that the sequel was not happening due to these differences,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batra, Ankur |date=27 February 2014 |title='Kahaani 2' shelved |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Kahaani-2-shelved/articleshow/31114301.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625172531/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Kahaani-2-shelved/articleshow/31114301.cms |archive-date=25 June 2014 |access-date=22 March 2014 |website=The Times of India}}</ref> but two years later, Ghosh confirmed that the film was in pre-production with Vidya set to reprise her role.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 February 2016 |title='Kahaani 2' in pre-production stage, to star Vidya Balan: Sujoy Ghosh |work=The Indian Express |agency=PTI |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/kahaani-2-in-pre-production-stage-to-star-vidya-balan-sujoy-ghosh/#sthash.hpIxDYVM.dpuf |url-status=live |access-date=9 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209092142/http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/kahaani-2-in-pre-production-stage-to-star-vidya-balan-sujoy-ghosh/ |archive-date=9 February 2016}}</ref> The sequel, entitled ''[[Kahaani 2]]'', began filming in March 2016 with Vidya and [[Arjun Rampal]] in lead roles,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ghosh Choudhury |first=Soumodeep |date=16 March 2016 |title=Kahaani 2 begins in Kalimpong |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Kahaani-2-begins-in-Kalimpong/articleshow/51426448.cms |url-status=live |access-date=17 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331105420/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/Kahaani-2-begins-in-Kalimpong/articleshow/51426448.cms |archive-date=31 March 2016}}</ref> and was released on 2 December 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 December 2016 |title=Kahaani 2 review roundup: Here's what critics have to say about the Vidya Balan-starrer |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/kahaani-2-review-roundup-heres-what-critics-have-say-about-vidya-balan-starrer-706509 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202114311/http://www.ibtimes.co.in/kahaani-2-review-roundup-heres-what-critics-have-say-about-vidya-balan-starrer-706509 |archive-date=2 December 2016 |access-date=2 December 2016 |website=[[International Business Times]]}}</ref> The producers indicated plans to release a second sequel.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 December 2016 |title=Kahaani and Gangs Of Wasseypur to get third installments – Mumbai Mirror |url=http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/kahaani-and-gangs-of-wasseypur-to-get-third-installments/articleshow/55970127.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220215817/http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/kahaani-and-gangs-of-wasseypur-to-get-third-installments/articleshow/55970127.cms |archive-date=20 December 2016 |access-date=21 December 2016 |website=The Times of India}}</ref>

=== ''Bob Biswas'' ===
{{Main|Bob Biswas}}

''[[Bob Biswas (film)|Bob Biswas]]'' is a [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] to ''Kahaani'' produced by [[Red Chillies Entertainment]]. The film, starring [[Abhishek Bachchan]] as Bob Biswas and [[Chitrangada Singh]] as his wife, premiered on 3 December 2021 on [[ZEE5]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 November 2021 |title=Abhishek Bachchan transforms into cold-blooded killer Bob Biswas in new teaser: 'Nazar aap par hai' |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/abhishek-bachchan-bob-biswas-new-teaser-watch-video-7629559/ |url-status=live |access-date=18 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118120212/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/abhishek-bachchan-bob-biswas-new-teaser-watch-video-7629559/ |archive-date=18 November 2021}}</ref> This film is the directorial debut of Diya Annapurna Ghosh, daughter of Sujoy Ghosh.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Bob Biswas' movie review: Abhishek Bachchan is excellent in this crime drama filled with emotions, suspense |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-bob-biswas-movie-review-abhishek-bachchan-is-excellent-in-this-crime-drama-filled-with-emotions-suspense-2922330 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203161440/https://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-bob-biswas-movie-review-abhishek-bachchan-is-excellent-in-this-crime-drama-filled-with-emotions-suspense-2922330 |archive-date=3 December 2021 |access-date=2021-12-03 |website=DNA India}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Kahaani}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Bollywood Hungama title|542221}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{Sujoy Ghosh}}
{{Vaicom18 Studios}}
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[[Category:2012 films]]
[[Category:2012 thriller films]]
[[Category:Indian feminist films]]
[[Category:Films about women in India]]
[[Category:Films set in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian mystery thriller films]]
[[Category:Indian detective films]]
[[Category:2010s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian pregnancy films]]
[[Category:Indian films about revenge]]
[[Category:Hindi films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Films about missing people]]
[[Category:Films scored by Vishal–Shekhar]]
[[Category:Intelligence Bureau (India) in fiction]]
[[Category:Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing National Award]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay National Film Award]]
[[Category:Viacom18 Studios films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Sujoy Ghosh]]
[[Category:2010s feminist films]]
[[Category:Durga Puja in popular culture]]
[[Category:Indian film series]]
[[Category:Films about contract killing in India]]