Anek Movie Review : Sinha continues as a conscience-keeper, Ayushmann Khurrana stands out with his performance
Anek Movie Review
- Movie: Anek
- Star Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Manoj Pahwa, Andrea Kevichüsa, Kumud Mishra, Loitongbam Dorendra, and JD Chakraverti
- Director: Anubhav Sinha
- Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
STORY: Joshua (Ayushmann Khurrana), a covert operative, is tasked with creating a situation that will force rebel leader Tiger Sangha to the negotiating table for a long-stalled peace treaty. Joshua attempts to infiltrate a separatist group as part of his mission by befriending one of its members’ daughters, Aido. Aido, a ferocious boxer, aspires to win a gold medal for India. Aido continues to fight for a spot on the national team despite facing discrimination at every turn, hoping to be accepted as an Indian by making her country proud.
REVIEW: Anubhav Sinha directed Anek is a multi-layered story about efforts to negotiate a peace treaty in the northeast with a separatist group, a process that has dragged on for decades with no resolution. A covert operative named Aman (Ayushmann Khurrana), also known as Joshua, is tasked with creating a situation that will bring Tiger Sangha (Loitongbam Dorendra), the region’s top rebel leader, to the negotiating table. Along the way, Aman discovers that not everything is as black and white as he had assumed and finds himself emotionally and professionally conflicted.
Anek confronts you with the undertones of discrimination and alienation from mainland India that exist in various pockets of the northeast through conversational dialogues interspersed throughout the narrative. At times, it’s unsettling, but that’s the point. Sinha avoids heavy-handed, seetimaar lines as well as overt jingoism. What works here is nuance in the dialogue and performances, as well as some nuanced writing that captures the essence of the grey that Sinha set out to depict in the film.
With powerful performances by Ayushmann Khurrana, Manoj Pahwa, Andrea Kevichüsa, Kumud Mishra, Loitongbam Dorendra, and JD Chakraverti, the film leaves the audience with many unsettling questions, the most important of which is what makes you an Indian. Silences, regional dialect, folk songs, and the background score, as well as the production design, visual tone, cinematography, and action pieces, all contribute to the narrative.
Final words: The film is entertaining, but it could have used more screen time. It’s a little slow before the interval and a lot faster after that, and it unpacks a lot in that timeframe.
STORY: Joshua (Ayushmann Khurrana), a covert operative, is tasked with creating a situation that will force rebel leader Tiger Sangha to the negotiating table for a long-stalled peace treaty. Joshua attempts to infiltrate a separatist group as part of his mission by befriending one of its members’ daughters, Aido. Aido, a ferocious boxer, aspires to win a gold medal for India. Aido continues to fight for a spot on the national team despite facing discrimination at every turn, hoping to be accepted as an Indian by making her country proud.
Anek REVIEW: Anubhav Sinha directed Anek is a multi-layered story about efforts to negotiate a peace treaty in the northeast with a separatist group, a process that has dragged on for decades with no resolution. A covert operative named Aman (Ayushmann Khurrana), also known as Joshua, is tasked with creating a situation that will bring Tiger Sangha (Loitongbam Dorendra), the region’s top rebel leader, to the negotiating table. Along the way, Aman discovers that not everything is as black and white as he had assumed and finds himself emotionally and professionally conflicted.
Anek confronts you with the undertones of discrimination and alienation from mainland India that exist in various pockets of the northeast through conversational dialogues interspersed throughout the narrative. At times, it’s unsettling, but that’s the point. Sinha avoids heavy-handed, seetimaar lines as well as overt jingoism. What works here is nuance in the dialogue and performances, as well as some nuanced writing that captures the essence of the grey that Sinha set out to depict in the film.
With powerful performances by Ayushmann Khurrana, Manoj Pahwa, Andrea Kevichüsa, Kumud Mishra, Loitongbam Dorendra, and JD Chakraverti, the film leaves the audience with many unsettling questions, the most important of which is what makes you an Indian. Silences, regional dialect, folk songs, and the background score, as well as the production design, visual tone, cinematography, and action pieces, all contribute to the narrative.
Verdict: The film is entertaining, but it could have used more screen time. It’s a little slow before the interval and a lot faster after that, and it unpacks a lot in that timeframe.
