Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 19: Bollywood does not do subtle often, and Anurag Kashyap does not play it safe either. His new effort, Nishaanchi, is the evidence. It swaggered into cinemas promising grit, guns, and a double whammy of drama in the form of identical twins who are always at each other’s throats. On paper, it screamed edgy genius. On screen? Well, it’s more like an arrow that hits the mark but never quite enters it.
Nevertheless, Nishaanchi is not forgettable film—it’s boisterous, trendy, and full of Kashyap’s signature pandemonium. The question is only whether viewers are accepting the mayhem or exiting with the suspicion that the director has gone too far in emulating Kashyap.
A Tale of Two Brothers (And Too Much Baggage)
At its core, Nishaanchi is a story about twin brothers (acted out with angry intensity, if uneven skill, by Siddhant Chaturvedi). Same looks, different personalities, they’re locked in an ongoing standoff that bursts out into violence, betrayal, and power struggles.
Kashyap, who once redefined gangster cinema with Gangs of Wasseypur, attempts to recapture that lightning in a bottle. The setup is promising—brother versus brother against a backdrop of crime and politics. But as the plot progresses, ambition turns into excess. The screenplay piles on subplots like toppings on an overburdened pizza. By the second half, you’re not savoring the story—you’re trying to keep it from collapsing.
Performances That Try to Outgun the Script
Siddhant Chaturvedi is to be commended for shouldering two characters with different energies. His subtle transitions between fury and restraint make for compelling watching, even when the writing does not entirely help him.
The supporting cast is electric one moment and exhausted the next. There are flashes of brilliance from hands like those of Pankaj Tripathi, whose very presence lights up scenes. But there are others who are wasted in single-note roles, forced into shouting or smirking but without any kind of depth.
It sounds like a band where one player is struggling to maintain rhythm while the others are adjusting their instruments during the song.
Kashyap’s Style: Still Bold, Sometimes Exhausting
Kashyap remains a master of atmosphere. The grimy lanes, the sweat-soaked confrontations, the operatic violence—no one does cinematic grime like him. The cinematography oozes texture; every frame feels like a painting in blood and dust.
But somewhere along the way, the swagger tips into self-indulgence. Critics have already noted that Nishaanchi is Kashyap “undoing Wasseypur only to overdo it.” That’s not unfair. Instead of razor-sharp storytelling, we often get chaos for chaos’s sake. It’s bold, yes—but bold doesn’t always mean brilliant.
The Music & Sound Design
Sneha Khanwalkar’s soundtrack is a saving grace. Her score throbs with menace and irony, layering folk beats with industrial grit. It’s not background—it’s foreground, often saying what the dialogue fails to.
Sound design is equally immersive. Bullets don’t just fire; they echo, reverberate, almost haunt. Unfortunately, no amount of auditory brilliance can fix narrative clutter.
The Box Office Reality
Despite mixed reviews, Nishaanchi opened strong. Day 1 collections, according to Sacnilk, touched ₹7.85 crore, a respectable figure for a film drenched in darkness rather than candyfloss romance. Multiplex audiences are curious, Kashyap loyalists are turning up, and social media buzz is working overtime.
But sustainability is the question. Early critics’ verdicts are lukewarm, calling it stylish but uneven. If word-of-mouth doesn’t improve, the film risks a sharp dip after the opening weekend. Still, in an industry starved of edgy content, Nishaanchi is already a conversation starter—and that’s half the battle.
Audience Reactions: Divided Camp
Scroll called it a saga that “misses its mark.” India Today lamented that Kashyap “overdoes what once worked.” Times of India pointed out the film’s inability to balance style with substance.
And yet, online chatter is split:
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“Siddhant Chaturvedi is phenomenal. Twin roles are no joke, and he nailed it.” – Instagram user
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“Anurag Kashyap is parodying himself at this point. Loud for no reason.” – Reddit comment
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“Box office looks good, but will it survive? Unlikely. This is niche cinema trying to wear massy clothes.” – Trade analyst tweet
The consensus? Admiration for the craft, skepticism about the storytelling.
The Sarcastic Bit We Can’t Resist
Kashyap seems determined to remind us he’s still the enfant terrible of Bollywood. But here’s the irony: rebellion works best when it feels fresh. In Nishaanchi, the rebellion feels recycled. Watching identical twins endlessly squabble, one can’t help but wonder if the real battle was between Kashyap’s artistic instincts and his urge to outdo his own legend. Spoiler: neither side wins convincingly.
Final Verdict
Nishaanchi is a rumbustious, fashion-forward, ambitious, and occasionally sheer-genius flick—but very far from perfect. It’s the kind of film that will polarize people: cinephiles may dissect its layers with abandon, while others may simply call it trash.
Siddhant Chaturvedi is on point, the music is heavenly, and Kashyap’s visual bravado still cuts it. But the script, weighed down and uneven, keeps the film from achieving greatness as ardently as it tries.
Rating: 3/5
Watch it if you like Kashyap’s grittiness, Chaturvedi’s energy, and movies that proudly wear their blemishes openly on their sleeve. Just don’t expect Wasseypur 2.0. This arrow strikes—but half its way through the target only.
