Kahaani

Kahaani

Year: 2012

Runtime: 122 mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

MysteryThriller

A mother of a story. Pregnant and alone in the city of Kolkata, a woman begins a relentless search for her missing husband, only to find that nothing is what it seems.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Kahaani yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Kahaani (2012)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Kahaani (2012). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Early 2010s

Set in modern-day Kolkata during the Durga Puja season, the narrative unfolds in the early 2010s. The tech-centric details (software engineers, data centers) place the story in a contemporary timeframe. A major poison-gas attack and a two-year gap drive the pacing and reveals, underscoring a present-day investigative atmosphere.

Location

Kolkata, Kalighat

The story unfolds in Kolkata, with the city’s bustling streets and urban landscape forming the backdrop. The Durga Puja festival provides a culturally rich setting that frames Vidya’s arrival and search. Key locations referenced in the summary—Kalighat police station, the Mona Lisa guest house, the NDC office, and the Kolkata Metro—anchor the investigation in this contemporary urban environment.

🗺️ Kolkata 🎭 Durga Puja city 🚇 Metro hub

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:41

Main Characters – Kahaani (2012)

Meet the key characters of Kahaani (2012), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan)

A pregnant software engineer who travels from London to Kolkata in search of her missing husband Arnab. She is highly intelligent, resourceful, and willing to adopt unconventional methods, including deception, to uncover the truth and avenge wrongdoing.

🔥 Determined 🧠 Tech-savvy 🕳️ Secretive

Arnab Bagchi / Milan Damji (Indraneil Sengupta)

Arnab is Vidya’s missing husband, whose appearance and identity become entangled with the rogue IB agent Milan Damji. The character operates as a duplicitous figure linked to the Metro attack, around whom much of the mystery revolves.

🕵️‍♂️ Dual identity 🗺️ Mysterious 🧩 Key link

Major Arup Basu (Abir Chatterjee)

Vidya’s late husband and an IB officer who was killed in the poison-gas attack. His death catalyzes Vidya’s quest for truth and justice, and his past work with Damji frames the central conspiracy.

🧭 Military 🗡️ Tragic 🧩 Motivating factor

Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee)

An assassin operating undercover as a life-insurance agent. He becomes a dangerous obstacle in Vidya’s pursuit of the truth and is involved in the violent events surrounding the mystery.

🗡️ Assassin 🕶️ Stealthy 🔎 Threat

Satyoki 'Rana' Sinha (Parambrata Chatterjee)

A sympathetic Sub-Inspector who offers help to Vidya. He plays a crucial role in guiding the investigation and navigating the bureaucratic obstacles surrounding the case.

👮‍♂️ Officer 🤝 Ally 🧭 Guide

Agnes D'Mello (Colleen Blanche)

NDC’s head of human resources who becomes a target as Vidya digs into Damji’s records. Her involvement marks one of the early intersections between Vidya’s quest and the institutional backdrop.

💼 Bureaucrat 🧩 Gatekeeper 💥 Victim

Bhaskaran K. (Dhritiman Chatterjee)

A senior IB official entangled in the investigation. His warnings and strategic moves reveal the involvement of higher-level actors in the case.

🧑‍✈️ High-ranking 🕳️ Concealment 🔐 Authority

Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui)

Deputy IB official sent to Kolkata who pushes Vidya and Rana to confront the larger conspiracy. His presence adds a layer of covert power and intrigue to the investigation.

🛡️ Enforcer 🕵️‍♂️ Shadowy ⚖️ Authority

R. Sridhar (Shantilal Mukherjee)

An NDC officer whose records connect critical clues. Vidya’s confrontation with him leads to the discovery of sensitive data that exposes deeper corruptions.

🧭 Informant 🧱 Obstacle 🧬 Link

Pratap Bajpayee (Darshan Jariwala)

A retired IB officer who assists Vidya in her quest, suspected of knowing more than he initially reveals. He becomes a pivotal ally in verifying leads and guiding the pursuit of truth.

🧭 Ally 🕵️‍♂️ Veteran 🧩 Mentor

Poltu (Riddhi Sen)

A young witness who provides glimpses into the neighborhood dynamics and helps Vidya piece together key events surrounding the metro attack and Damji’s activities.

🧒 Witness 🧩 Clue-giver 🗝️ Innocence

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:41

Major Themes – Kahaani (2012)

Explore the central themes of Kahaani (2012), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕵️‍♀️ Investigation

Mystery and pursuit drive the plot as Vidya and Rana piece together a complex web of lies surrounding Arnab, Milan Damji, and the poison-gas attack. The investigation traverses offices, flats, and hidden records, revealing how deeper power structures shield the truth. The motif of chasing clues highlights the tension between appearances and reality.

🤰 Motherhood

Vidya’s pregnancy is instrumental to the story, used strategically to manipulate foes and deflect suspicion. The theme examines how vulnerability can coexist with resolve, as Vidya leverages deception to pursue justice. It also reflects on the protective instincts and sacrifices surrounding family and loved ones.

🗝️ Truth and Secrets

The plot hinges on uncovering hidden identities and concealed motives within the IB network and the criminal underworld. Secrets accumulated in files, complicit officials, and encoded data drive the twists toward a climactic revelation. The ultimate truth reshapes Vidya’s purpose and exposes a larger web of manipulation.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:41

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Thrillers with deceptive protagonists like Kahaani

Stories where the protagonist's true mission is a hidden, calculated ruse.If you liked the calculated deception and hidden agenda in Kahaani, explore more movies like it. These films feature protagonists with secret identities and ulterior motives, weaving complex narratives of revenge and conspiracy that keep you guessing until the final twist.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives typically follow a character who feigns vulnerability or innocence to infiltrate a dangerous world. Their fabricated quest acts as a cover for a deeper, personal mission of revenge or justice. The plot unfolds through their dual reality, building towards a climax where their true identity and purpose are explosively revealed.

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Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on a protagonist-driven deception as the central narrative engine. They create a unique viewing experience defined by paranoia, calculated risk, and the intellectual satisfaction of a twist that re-contextualizes the protagonist's every action.

Grief-driven investigative thrillers like Kahaani

A solitary figure navigates a labyrinthine city, driven by profound personal loss.For viewers who appreciated the heavy emotional weight and urban mystery of Kahaani, this section finds similar movies. Discover other intense stories where a character's personal loss fuels a perilous search for truth within a morally complex and secretive city landscape.

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Narrative Summary

The journey begins with a profound personal tragedy that sends the protagonist into an unfamiliar or hostile urban environment. Their search for answers is as much an internal process of coping with grief as it is an external battle against a corrupt system. The city's architecture, crowds, and institutions become obstacles and clues in equal measure.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their powerful fusion of heavy emotional weight with a tense, fast-paced investigation. The experience is defined by a mood of anxious solitude, where the protagonist's vulnerability contrasts with their relentless determination, set against a backdrop of systemic moral ambiguity.

Unlock the Full Story of Kahaani

Don't stop at just watching — explore Kahaani in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Kahaani is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Kahaani Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Kahaani, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Kahaani Summary

Kahaani Timeline

Track the full timeline of Kahaani with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Kahaani Timeline

Kahaani Spoiler-Free Summary

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Kahaani Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Kahaani

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