Spoilers ahead!!
I went to watch Kahaani 2 on Saturday even after reading the reviews which stated that the ‘movie is the failure’ or ‘Vidya Balan is the only saviour’. At first, I was quite apprehensive that the movie is going to be both a waste of time and money. However, I knew it is a psychological thriller and has a twisted plot, I booked the ticket. Yes a ticket, I watch movies alone and love enjoying my ‘me’ time.
So, it started and it was very easy to predict what could be the next scene, and then next and next. But what caught my attention was when it spoke about child sexual abuse. Yes, they did it openly. One of the scenes where little Mini says, “raat ko woh mujhe sone nahi deta,” I knew she was talking about child abuse. But never thought that a Bollywood movie will speak it aloud.
Kahaani 2 – Durga Rani Singh is about the child abuse and it hit me hard. I agree Vidya’s performance was the show stealer but what won my heart was the way she spoke about the issue. It is dark and gloomy, it will hit your brain and makes you go back and forth your seat. The scene where Vidya speaks to Mini about a man touching her. She is loud and clear – Mujhe gussa aata hai jab vo mujhe yahan chuta hai aur wahan chuta hai. She pointed out at her private parts (vagina and breasts). It shows the pain of the little girl who is scared to tell her anything.
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Child sexual abuse is one of the essential issues of our society, which we don’t discuss. I have a 2-year old niece and I want to tell her everything about the topic right away. Why? Because I know this is a damn serious issue. It is not a problem of one child, rather it is an issue that many children face in their everyday life. The movie showed the connection between Vidya and Mini, but there must be many Mini(s) in the class.
It is a reality of life. While I was watching the movie, what took me back was my childhood. I consider it as one of the bravest steps which I took when I told about it to my mom and she made sure nothing happens ever again. Today with this movie, I realised that this is a problem that we need to speak about. This is something a mother, mausi, bua, sister, father, brother should talk to a child at home. Make yourself understand that it all happens in the family. The mistake is not always of a male member, females don’t do anything to stop, sometimes. Kahaani 2 was the familiar story. Watch it and it will remind you of something you might have experienced or heard of.
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A suspense thriller film with a predictable ending is one part of the movie, there are much more to it. Starting with child abuse to its effects, there are too many layers. Though this is not the first time when any such movie has been made, it is convincing. Besides Kahaani 2, Highway and Monsoon Wedding were some other movies based on the similar concept. Vidya’s perspective, here, is very different and positive.
