The Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani is Bollywood's latest heroine-oriented hit. The thriller, which was produced with a budget of Rs 8 crore, has managed to do business worth Rs 14 crore in its opening weekend. In male-dominated Bollywood, where the success of a film is mostly dependent on the hero, Vidya's Kahaani is the first bonafide heroine-centric film of 2012. Unlike Vidya's last hit, The Dirty Picture, the film had no frills such as songs, dance sequences and expensive production value.

Apart from Vidya, Kahaani boasts of no known names. Talented actors from the Bengali film industry make up the supporting cast. Kahaani, directed by Sujoy Ghosh saw a decent opening of Rs 3.82 crore on Friday and collected around Rs 4.5 crore on day two. While it is too early to say anything for sure, the small-budget offbeat suspense drama could end up grossing Rs 25 crore or more considering it has generated positive word-of-mouth as well as good reviews.

'It is too early to say if Kahaani will be a superhit but the film has established the trend of entertaining women- centric films that are here to stay. The success of Kahaani is an encouraging step. Not many strong heroine-oriented films found favour with the audience till a while back. The fact that Kahaani is a suspense drama with no loud treatment but a heavily pregnant protagonist, is interesting,' trade analyst Komal Nahta said.

Nahta added the film's major intake will be from the multiplexes. 'Kahaani is a classappealing film and not the type of project that would be appreciated by the masses. Business however has been commendable.' Kahaani tells the story of a seven-month pregnant woman, played by Vidya, who arrives all alone in Kolkata from London in search of her missing husband. The film does not peddle standard Bollywood gimmicks such as item dance, loud melodrama, violence or a glamorous heroine. Rather, the focus is on Vidya in a pregnant avatar sporting a fake baby bump and the travails she faces in an alien city.

'The success of the film is only because of Vidya, who has emerged as a powerful actor. Vidya's power presence has made the film well-defined and she has managed to draw the audience,' said director Sujoy Ghosh. 'Kahaani is the first realistic female-oriented film since No One Killed Jessica and Fashion to score a hit. The Dirty Picture too had a strong role for the heroine but that film had three heroes and hit songs too,' added Nahta. Kahaani is headed to become a genuine hit this year after Agneepath, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and Paan Singh Tomar.