Star Cast: Aaishvary Thackeray, Vedika Pinto, Monika Panwar
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Nishaanchi Movie Review Synopsis:
NISHAANCHI is the story of twin brothers. The year is 2006. Babloo aka Tony Montana (Aaishvary Thackeray), his twin brother Dabloo (Aaishvary Thackeray) and his girlfriend Rinku (Vedika Pinto) attempt to rob a bank in Kanpur. Tony gets caught while Dabloo and Rinku escape. Tony is imprisoned for 7 years. Since Dabloo hid his face with a monkey cap during the bank robbery, none of the witnesses identify him. The cop, Kamal Ajeeb (Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub), tries his best to extract from Tony about his accomplice but he doesn’t open his mouth in order to save his brother. Back home, Tony and Dabloo’s mother Manjari (Monika Panwar) are distressed over Tony’s arrest. Rinku, too, is saddened; Dabloo, who always had a crush on her, tries to get close to her. Meanwhile, a man named Ambika Prasad (Kumud Mishra) is hell bent on making life messier for Tony, Dabloo, Rinku and Manjari due to the past enmity. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Nishaanchi Movie Story Review:
Anurag Kashyap’s story is detailed and expansive. Prasoon Mishra, Ranjan Chanel and Anurag Kashyap’s screenplay has loads of entertainment and drama. However, the writing gets stretched in several places. Prasoon Mishra, Ranjan Chanel and Anurag Kashyap’s dialogues are one of the USPs.
Anurag Kashyap’s direction is superb. This is a film in the GANGS OF WASSEYPUR zone; in fact, the story doesn’t end and there’s a second part in the offing as well. Many characters and even a few situations would remind one of the 2012 two-part classic. There’s a lot of humour present in the narrative, but what stands out is the drama. The film starts at a certain point and Anurag hints at significant developments in the lives of the characters that have taken place already. It intrigues the viewers and doesn’t confuse thankfully. Soon, the flashback portions take over and they form a major chunk of the film. Interestingly, from the beginning portions, one gets a slight idea about what must have happened in the past. Yet, one looks forward to it when the past track unfolds. A few scenes that stand out are Jabardast (Viineet Kumar Singh) taking revenge and his scene in jail, Tony confronted by Rinku for the first time, Manjari warning Dabloo over falling for Rinku, Ambika attacked on his face etc. The climax is well executed and increases the expectation for the sequel.
On the flipside, the film is 179 minutes long. Though a lot is happening every minute, it does become tedious at times. There are too many songs and two of them could have been easily shortened. The intermission point is too serious. In fact, there are portions in the movie where the humour is non-existent; for a film promoted as a crime comedy, this might not be liked by those who have ventured to the cinemas, expecting some laughs. What adds to the minuses is that the makers haven’t promoted the fact that NISHAANCHI is a two-part saga. A section of the moviegoers might be dejected to learn that despite being a three-hour-long film, the story hasn’t ended and will continue in the next part. Lastly, the limited buzz can prove detrimental.
Nishaanchi – Official Trailer | In Cinemas – September 19 | Amazon MGM Studios India
Nishaanchi Movie Review Performances:
Aaishvary Thackeray makes one of the finest debuts in recent times. In his first film, he plays two diverse roles and the manner in which he acts like a pro is seen to be believed. Monika Panwar excels. Initially, it felt like she might be too young for the role, but all doubts vanish in a few minutes. Vedika Pinto has limited screen time in the first half but goes to another level post-interval. Kumud Mishra is to NISHAANCHI what Tigmanshu Dhulia was to GANGS OF WASSEYPUR. He puts up a great act and watch out for how he has been de-aged. Viineet Kumar Singh has been credited under ‘very special appearance’. But he has a crucial role and yet again proves why he’s one of the finest actors of our time. Durgesh Kumar (Bank Security Guard) makes his presence felt with just one scene. Sahaarsh Shuklaa (Puraane), Shubham Tiwari (Hawa Hawai) and Murari Kumar (Baba Lasan) leave a mark. Rajesh Kumar (Bhola Pehalwan) does fine, but looks miscast for a role of this sort. Special mention should also go to Nitpreet Gorkhyal and Supreet Gorkhyal for playing the roles of young Babloo and young Dabloo, respectively.
Nishaanchi movie music and other technical aspects:
The music is peppy and varied. ‘Filam Dekho’ appears in the opening credits and sets the mood. ‘Neend Bhi Teri’ and ‘Kya Hai Kya Hai’ (not present in the jukebox, surprisingly) are soulful and ‘Jhule Jhule Paalna’ is well incorporated. ‘Pigeon Kabootar’, ‘Kanpuriya Kantaap’ and ‘Raja Hindustani’ are in sync with the film’s mood. ‘Bhaga Bhaga Ke Maarenge’ is energetic, while ‘Upar Wale Ne’ is poignant. ‘Dear Country’ is amusing but loses its novelty value in a minute. ‘Saram Lagela’ is forced. ‘Reh Gaye Akele’ adds to the effect in the end credits.
Ajay Jayanthi’s background score is apt. Sylvester Fonseca’s cinematography is gritty and real. The same goes for Amrit Singh’s action. Vikram Singh and Parul Rai’s production design and Shruti Kapoor’s costumes are realistic; the apparel is glamorous in the case of Vedika, as per the character requirement. RedChillies.VFX and White Apple Studios’ VFX is decent. Aarti Bajaj’s editing could have been crisper.
Nishaanchi Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, NISHAANCHI is a gritty, engaging ride that reaffirms Anurag Kashyap’s knack for blending crime, drama, and dark humour into a compelling narrative. However, the three-hour runtime, the unexpected two-part format, limited buzz, and strong competition from JOLLY LLB 3 could restrict its box office reach.