'Nishaanchi' Review: Anurag Kashyap returns with his wildest saga since Wasseypur

Back To Kanpur And Into The Madness

The story opens in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, circa 2006. A bank robbery is going wrong in ways only Kashyap could stage. Gunshots, panic, betrayals, and in the middle of it all, one of the twins, Babloo, played by debutant Aaishvary Thackeray, is caught by the police.

This is just a teaser to the labyrinthine saga Kashyap has woven, and trust him to make it as tangled as a thousand loose threads unravelling in all directions.

From here, the narrative explodes into flashbacks, then flashbacks within flashbacks, present-day jumps, and even glimpses of the future. Time is not linear in Kashyap’s world; it is elastic, stretched to suit his moods and ideas. At 2 hours and 56 minutes, one might expect the story to wrap neatly, but of course, Kashyap has other plans.

This is only Part 1. Part 2 is already teased, making it the closest thing he has done to Gangs of Wasseypur in spirit. The homage is intentional, but Nishaanchi is not simply Wasseypur 2.0.

The Kashyap Storytelling Cocktail

On paper, Nishaanchi sounds like the quintessential masala film. Flashbacks, betrayal, love, revenge, chapters within chapters, and characters who are at once human and larger than life.

Kashyap thrives on these elements, not by playing them safe, but by diving deep into their contradictions.

What separates Nishaanchi from yet another crime drama is the fact that at its heart, this is not about warring gangs. It is about a rebellious young man standing up to his mentor and boss, driven by nothing more than his love for a woman.

Stripped down, it might sound short-handed, but in Kashyap’s hands, the story becomes sprawling, ambitious, and emotionally layered.

Performances That Steal The Thunder

If Kashyap has often been accused of being too obsessed with his own narrative indulgence, here it is the actors who rescue him. The performances in Nishaanchi are not just strong; they are the spine of the film.

Monika Panwar is on a career-defining streak in 2025. After shining in the fantasy thriller Khauf on Amazon Prime Video, she delivers a powerhouse act here as the mother of twins in the flashback track.

She brings quiet rage, immense sacrifice, and a fierce resilience to her role. It is one of those performances where you stop seeing the actor and only see the character’s struggle.

And then there is Aaishvary Thackeray. Bollywood loves a debut, but very few debuts feel like a proper event. If Ahaan Panday’s entry earlier this year felt big, Thackeray takes it a notch higher. Playing twins Babloo and Dabloo, he switches between charm, brattiness, vulnerability, and raw aggression with remarkable ease.

What makes his performance special is not the effort, but the effortlessness. It feels natural, unforced, and yet deeply rehearsed. Add to that the seamless VFX that never lets you doubt the twin setup, and you have a debut worth remembering for years.

Vedika Pinto brings her spark to the story as Rinku, and though her arc stretches longer than necessary in places, she delivers enough intrigue to make you curious for Part 2. And of course, Kumud Mishra is superb as Ambica Prasad, grounding the drama with his quiet intensity. Vineet Kumar

Singh’s cameo as Jabardast, the twins’ father, is another little gift to Kashyap fans. Singh’s mere presence makes you smile, and it reminds you that a Kashyap film without Vineet is like chai without masala.

The Signature Anurag Kashyap Problem

Now let us address the elephant in the editing room. Anurag Kashyap does not know when to stop. He never has. He indulges, stretches, wanders, digresses, and then indulges some more. Nishaanchi is no exception.

The first half could have been tighter. The flashback sequences extend far too long. The romantic track with Babloo and Rinku feels overly dragged. Some songs land brilliantly, while others feel unnecessary.

Kashyap has always had this problem of self-indulgence, where he refuses to trim fat from his storytelling. Yet, here is the irony. Even with all this indulgence, the film never feels like a slog. The nearly three-hour runtime goes by like a breeze, especially in the second half.

Why The Film Still Works

So why does Nishaanchi still work despite all its flaws? The answer lies in Kashyap’s ability to turn excess into style. His obsession with chapters, long stories, and layered backstories might not always fit as seamlessly here as it did in Wasseypur, but it still creates an intoxicating cinematic world.

You get pulled into the lives of these characters. You root for them, curse them, and wonder what is coming next. The violence is not stylized to look cool, it is raw and unnerving.

The humor, when it appears, is dark and biting. The emotions feel lived in, not manufactured. That is the Kashyap trademark, and that is why Nishaanchi works even when it stumbles.

A Technical And Musical Feast

Kashyap’s collaborators deserve their own shoutouts. The cinematography captures Kanpur and its surrounding landscapes with a lived-in grit, never glossing over the dirt and decay, yet finding beauty in chaos. The editing, though indulgent, is still sharp enough to keep the story gripping.

And the VFX team deserves applause for making twin interactions look seamless and organic, avoiding the awkwardness such setups often bring.

The soundtrack, as always in a Kashyap film, is quirky and eclectic. Some songs slip perfectly into the narrative, others stick out, but together they give the film its energy.

Kashyap has long been a director who uses music like a sly character in itself, and Nishaanchi continues that tradition.

The Final Word

Nishaanchi is far from a neat package. The film is indulgent, sometimes overlong, occasionally uneven, and carries its share of flaws. Yet, despite all of that, it pulls you in with raw energy.

It keeps you hooked, not only with its unpredictable narrative turns but also through the sheer force of its performances. There’s a beating heart at the core, layered emotions that give the chaos surprising weight.

For Anurag Kashyap, this feels like a comeback of sorts. It stands as his finest work since Manmarziyaan, and perhaps his boldest experiment in years.

The film may not hold the epic sprawl or generational chronicle of Wasseypur, but it brims with that same restless, unfiltered storytelling spirit that has long defined him.

You may walk out conflicted, praising some parts, questioning others. But one thing is certain, Nishaanchi cannot be dismissed. And for Kashyap, that in itself is a statement of triumph.

Are you planning to watch the film this weekend? Let us know in the comments below.