Review: Nishaanchi Marks a Fierce Comeback for Anurag Kashyap

Nishaanchi Movie Review: Anurag Kashyap Returns to Familiar Turf with a Fresh Spark

Rating: 3.5 / 5
By Kartik Bhardwaj
Published on: 19 Sep 2025, 11:18 AM

Under dim neon-pink lighting, a boy and girl sit closely, eyeing each other with unspoken tension. Just as they lean in for a kiss, he oddly sticks his tongue out, almost reptilian. “What’s that supposed to be?” she asks. “A kiss,” he replies. She teases, “You’ve done this before?” “No,” he admits. “Only seen it in Raja Hindustani.”

This playful awkwardness sets the tone for Nishaanchi, a film that marks Anurag Kashyap’s return to his signature genre—Hindi heartland crime comedy. After experimenting with sci-fi and romance in recent years, Kashyap is back doing what he does best: capturing the gritty, chaotic charm of small-town India.

Directed by: Anurag Kashyap
Written by: Prasoon Mishra, Ranjan Chandel, Anurag Kashyap
Starring: Aaishvary Thackeray, Vedika Pinto, Monika Panwar, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub

Set in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Nishaanchi follows Babloo Nishaanchi (Aaishvary Thackeray), who ends up in jail after a botched bank heist. His twin brother Dabloo and feisty girlfriend Rinku (Vedika Pinto) manage to escape, leaving Babloo to face the heat. Their family is entangled with Ambika Chacha (Kumud Mishra), a local enforcer with shady intentions—especially towards Rinku’s ancestral home and the brothers’ mother, Manjri (Monika Panwar).

A flashback takes us into the family’s turbulent past, where we meet Manjri’s husband, Jabardast (played powerfully by Viineet Kumar Singh), an akhada wrestler manipulated by a younger Ambika. Jabardast’s murder in prison sets off a chain reaction that shapes Babloo’s life. Raised in a juvenile center with only TV movies for company, Babloo later renames himself Tony Mantena—a nod to Al Pacino’s Scarface. It’s no surprise that he sees life through a film reel, asking Ambika in one memorable scene: “Do you want a Mughal-E-Azam or Hum Aapke Hain Koun?”

Kashyap weaves his love for cinema deeply into the narrative—not as decoration, but as emotional scaffolding. Pop culture references pulse through the story, echoing through the witty, exaggerated Kanpuriya dialect. His dialogues sparkle with local flavor: “Dhamkane aaya tha, chamka diye” (He came to threaten, I made him swoon), or the hilarious, “Aapko dekhkar hamara hormone harmonium bajta hai, din pratidin” (Seeing you, my hormones play like a harmonium—daily).

The soundtrack complements the setting beautifully. Composers Anurag Saikia, Manan Bhardwaj, Aaishvary Thackeray, and Dhruv Ghanekar deliver tracks like ‘Fillam Dekho’, ‘Pigeon Kabootar’, and ‘Kanpuriya Kantaap’—each adding local flavor and mischief to the mix.

Aaishvary Thackeray emerges as a promising new face. He brings raw energy to Babloo and layers subtle restraint into Dabloo, proving he can handle dual roles with surprising depth. Vedika Pinto is fiery and fun as Rinku, while Kumud Mishra and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub bring gravitas. Yet it’s Monika Panwar who truly commands attention. As Manjri, she exudes a quiet strength and grace, leaving a lasting impression with every frame she occupies.

Despite its strengths, Nishaanchi can’t quite shake the shadow of Gangs of Wasseypur. The themes—family feuds, murder, and mob power—echo Kashyap’s earlier epic. Fans will even spot familiar backdrops and dialogue callbacks like, “Lakshan theek nahi lag rahe tumhare” (I don’t like the look of your ways). Kashyap himself has called this film a kind of spiritual sequel to Wasseypur, and that comparison both helps and hurts.

At nearly three hours, Nishaanchi aims for grandeur but sometimes loses its way. Where Wasseypur seamlessly intertwined family sagas with political undercurrents, Nishaanchi struggles to decide if it’s a love story, a sibling rivalry, or a revenge drama. It becomes bloated in parts and drifts from its emotional core.

Still, the film is entertaining and packed with quirky charm. It plays like a North Indian Elmore Leonard novel—twisty, colorful, and occasionally thin in plot. Viewed as the foundation for a larger story, it holds promise. Perhaps the sequel will deliver more punch.

So strap in—this story’s far from over. Kahaani abhi baaki hai (“To be continued…”)