Over the last 10 years, Kahaani has got a cult status, something that filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh finds flattering. “I don’t feel 10 years [have passed]. People still talk to me about the film like it released yesterday,” he says.

But Ghosh says that the journey of the film from inception to execution was a tough one, especially since it was a female-led story. “It was tough to get people to back the film, given the fact that it was an action/thriller with a female protagonist, from a director like me, who was coming out of two massive flops (Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak, 2005, and Aladin, 2009). There was nobody around and I knocked on every door. I got sc****d trying to find money for Kahaani,” he says.

Ghosh shares that after the film released, the notions changed. “[Someone from] a big studio came to me and said, ‘What a twist, our eyes popped out’ and I was thinking, ‘I narrated the script to you, twice, were you not listening?’” he recalls.

Ghosh is content that the film triggered a change in the film industry. “Kahaani helped assure people with money and the producers that such films can be made and they can make money, too. So, people started investing money in films with female protagonists,” he explains.

Ghosh credits actor Vidya Balan for believing in the film from the beginning. “Kudos to Vidya for carrying this film on her shoulders. It was a story we wanted to tell and be associated with,” he says, adding that he is looking forward to taking the franchise forward. We did Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (2016) and Bob Biswas (2021) and if the right script comes up, we will do more,” he ends.