Nishaanchi movie review: Aaishvary Thackeray shines in Anurag Kashyap's entertaining and rustic crime drama

Cast: Aaishvary Thackeray, Monika Panwar, Vedika Pinto, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Viineet Kumar Siingh, Rajesh Kumar, Girish Sharma, Nitpreet Gorkhyal, Supreet Gorkhyal and Kumud Mishra

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Anurag Kashyap, the master craftsman known for delivering classics like Black Friday, Gulaal, No Smoking, Dev D, Raman Raghav 2.0 and Ugly, among others, showed his entertaining commercial side with two parts of Gangs of Wasseypur, which has garnered a ‘cult’ following among the cinegoers. Now, the glimpse and assets of Nishaanchi somehow took me on a nostalgic trip to GOW. While the promotional material looked impressive, let’s see whether it makes a mark or not…

The story of Nishaanchi is set in Kanpur in the year 2006, where twin brothers Babloo and Dabloo (Aaishvary Thackeray) attempt to do a bank robbery along with the former’s love interest Rinku (Vedika Pinto). However, Babloo gets caught by the police and is sentenced to 7 years.

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While Babloo is fearless and street smart, Dabloo is naive and mellow, exactly the opposite of his brother. Babloo tells Dabloo to look after Rinku since he is going to jail, but has no idea that even his brother had feelings for her. Manjiri (Monika Panwar), Babloo and Dabloo’s mother, a woman of principles and a former shooting champion, tries her best to give the best upbringing to his children in tough circumstances

In the flashback portion of 1996, young Babloo and Dabloo (Nitpreet Gorkhyal, Supreet Gorkhyal) are shown to establish the core characteristics, with the brilliant Viineet Kumar Siingh portraying the role of their father, Jabardast.

With the non-linear editing and storytelling, rustic set-up and desi dialogues, Nishaanchi beautifully unfolds as a revenge crime drama with a musical touch.

Anurag Kashyap masterfully and smoothly captures the essence of Dehat Kanpur and gives his traditional and signature style of entertainment, which indeed turns out to be a joyful cinematic experience.

However, the runtime of almost three hours with several situational songs might act as a speedbreaker. Also, the shooting style and the atmosphere will take you on a nostalgic trip to Gangs of Wasseypur.

The biggest plus of Nishaanchi is the impeccable performances of its ensemble cast. Aaishvary Thackeray makes an impressive and shining debut as he plays both characters with ease and finesse. Right from Babloo’s anger and naughtiness to Dabloo’s innocence and fear, Aaishvary hit every note perfectly. Monika, as Manjiri, is powerful and dominates the screen with her impactful portrayal. Vedika is luminous as Rinku, while Kumud Mishra and  Girish Sharma are simply outstanding.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub makes an impact in his limited screentime, but Viineet Kumar Siingh turns out to be one of the biggest highlights of the film.

On the whole, Nishaanchi is an out-and-out commercial entertainer with a signature Anurag Kashyap style.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

Nishaanchi is playing in cinemas