SPOILERS! Discusses the ending and biggest twists in Kaun?
I have a couple of issues with the ending of Kaun? (1999). Once you know who the killer is, it makes you look back at the film with knowing eyes. You pick up on her reactions, phone calls and the fact that she didn’t react too well to knocking at the door. Although some parts do make a bit more sense, there are still many unanswered questions.
Although it’s a great twist to find out she is the serial killer, I don’t feel the most interesting questions are how she was able to trick everyone. I felt the whole time how much of her actions were really planned out. Was she putting on an act all along? Or are we just giving her too much credit because we know the ending?
Why did she seem the obvious victim?
When Sameer first arrives, he doesn’t give much reassurance. He keeps asking for Mr. Malhotra and then Qureshi comes in and claims to be a police inspector with a gun. This means we have more questions.
The woman seems like an innocent character compared to the two men. She is alone, scared and definitely doesn’t want strangers in her house.
This is where I think I got confused. I was so focused on trying to figure out why the men were there that I didn’t really consider that she could be hiding something.
When we find out about the serial killer in the news, we start looking for someone who fits the image of a dangerous stranger. Sameer and Qureshi are much more obvious choices.
However, it doesn’t need to be a perfectly hidden plot twist. All it needs to do is make us look elsewhere.
Were her actions planned?
This one is a bit tricky!
Once we know who the killer is, it’s easy to look back at her actions and assume she was faking them. Her scared expressions, hesitations and odd reactions all seem like they were planned.
However, was this really the case?
Although she may have used the situation to her advantage once the men started acting suspiciously, I don’t feel confident that she planned every moment that happened that night.
Actually, I think this is a better interpretation. She could have been a dangerous person but still reacted unpredictably. She doesn’t need to be the perfect criminal.
It also makes Urmila Matondkar’s acting more interesting. When I watched the film without knowing the ending, I interpreted her expressions a certain way. Once I knew the ending, I was looking for signs she was hiding something. However, I’m not sure if they were there.
The phone
One thing I noticed much more when I watched the film again was the phone.
She seems to be speaking to her mother throughout the night. Whilst this seems like a natural reaction to being scared, Sameer finds out that the phone line was disconnected.
This is a very specific detail.
When she is tidying up after the murders, she still pretends to be using the phone. This made me question if she was faking the phone calls as well.
Who was she speaking to?
This is one of the best hints. It makes us rethink an actual action. She may have wanted the men to think she had someone outside of the house to contact. This makes her look like an average woman wanting help.
It almost seems like an easy thing to do. Phone calls are something very common, so I didn’t really pay attention to it. However, once I knew the ending, it became one of the details I remembered.
Did she know what would happen when the men arrived?
I don’t feel like she had everything planned.
Sameer and Qureshi have brought their own issues into the house. They both have different stories and intentions, and neither seems very easy to deal with. Although she ends up killing them, this doesn’t mean she had everything planned.
It’s important to note the difference between someone who has planned everything and someone who can take advantage of situations.
I think she is more of the latter. She seems to be able to adapt to the situation. This could be scarier as you don’t think she has planned everything.
Also, most of the film takes place in the house. We don’t really know much about her life outside of it and the film doesn’t fully explain her motivations. Whilst I would have liked to know a bit more, it makes sense that they don’t tell us everything.
Just because we know who she is doesn’t mean we know everything.
Why does the last visitor matter?
Probably my favourite part of the ending is the final bell.
After she has sorted out the bodies and tidied up, another visitor arrives looking for Mr. Malhotra. This is almost exactly the same situation as the beginning.
However, we know what is in store…
We cannot be 100% sure the visitor will be killed, but the film doesn’t show us what happens after she smiles. However, it does seem like she is going to repeat her process.
What also stood out to me was that she looked directly at the camera. We have spent almost the whole film seeing her through the eyes of the other characters.
Her smile seemed like an acknowledgment. Finally, we know the truth and she is completely comfortable with it. Perhaps she knows how easily we were tricked.
The visitor has no knowledge. He is about to walk into what seems like a normal house.
What should we take from the ending of Kaun? (1999)?
Overall, I don’t feel like there is enough information given to fully explain why she made the decisions she did. We know she is the killer and the phone shows she was making herself look like she was in a fake situation. However, I wouldn’t make the assumption that everything she did was planned.
I think she is much better at taking advantage of people’s assumptions. Both Sameer and Qureshi gave us plenty of reasons to be suspicious and she distracted us.
The ending made me question my own actions. I was looking for a dangerous man and she didn’t really have to do much to keep me distracted.
As for the final visitor, I’m still questioning whether he is about to become another victim or whether they just want us to imagine.
Either way, I wouldn’t be very comfortable opening the door.
