AN ELGIN EXCLUSIVE FEATURE
Indian actress Vidya Balan visited Kalimpong, a hill station near northern Darjeeling, to shoot the sequel of her movie ‘Kahaani’, which was directed by Sujoy Ghosh. Kalimpong was carefully selected as an important hill town backdrop to Kolkata in the movie.
Vidya Balan is a Bollywood actress who portrays strong female protagonists in a plethora of hit box office movies. She has become an instrumental figure in the advancement of women’s roles after overcoming major setbacks in her career. She started her career with a Bengali film called ‘Bhalo theko’.

Image by Radio Today
Vidya Balan in front of a Kahaani 2 poster.
After the first day of shooting Kahaani 2, Vidya tweeted, “First day off during the Kahaani 2 shoot. The trees in Kalimpong seem to be swaying to Gulzarsaab’s “Musafir hoon yaaron”. Just who isn’t a fan?!”.
Kalimpong is a place that mesmerizes anyone that comes here. It is the closest Indian town to Bhutan. The town is also famous for orchids, cactus, and ornamental plants. The town has its own unique charm with a variety of ancient Buddhist monasteries, old churches, and exquisite Tibetan handicrafts.
The shooting was done in the monasteries, and golf courses in the town. Located among the hilly terrains of Durpin Dara, there’s an 18-hole Army golf course maintained by the Indian Army. Ahead on the road, near the Army Golf Course, there comes the well-known Durpin Monastery.

Image by @vidyabalan, Twitter.
Balan with her new friend from Kalimpong.
Balan updated her journey through the shooting of Kahaani 2 on her Twitter. She made some new friends, met local people, and the beauty of Kalimpong. All over the town, you can see the snow-capped Himalayan ranges of West Sikkim.
The Himalayas in the state of Sikkim, and the neighboring country Bhutan give a breathtaking view while they surround the time. Vidya found the city to be welcoming, beautiful, and peaceful.
The story of the movie follows a pregnant woman who comes to Kolkata from London in search of a man. The images from the shoot were shared on social media, and as the shoot wrapped up, the dreamy town of Kalimpong was being cherished by Kahaani 2’s crew!
Post the shoot, in an interview, Vidya said, “This time I got a whiff of Bengal as well since we shot in Chandan Nagar and Kalimpong.”

Image by India Today.
A still from Kahaani 2 set in Kalimpong.
The visuals taken in Kalimpong are striking an atmosphere that is giving a definite sense of the mood of the storyline of Kahaani 2: a mystery, an investigation, a confusion.