{"id":41240,"date":"2025-09-19T13:24:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T07:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/19\/nishaanchi-2025-review-anurag-kashyaps-twin-tale-crime-drama-balances-power-chaos-and-criticism\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T13:24:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T07:54:22","slug":"nishaanchi-2025-review-anurag-kashyaps-twin-tale-crime-drama-balances-power-chaos-and-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailynewsindia.co.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/19\/nishaanchi-2025-review-anurag-kashyaps-twin-tale-crime-drama-balances-power-chaos-and-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"Nishaanchi 2025 Review: Anurag Kashyap\u2019s Twin-Tale Crime Drama Balances Power, Chaos, and Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 19: <\/strong>Bollywood does not do subtle often, and Anurag Kashyap does not play it safe either. His new effort, Nishaanchi<\/em><\/a>, 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\u2019s throats. On paper, it screamed edgy genius. On screen? Well, it\u2019s more like an arrow that hits the mark but never quite enters it.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Nishaanchi is not forgettable film\u2014it\u2019s boisterous, trendy, and full of Kashyap\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"Kashyap\"<\/h4>\n

A Tale of Two Brothers (And Too Much Baggage)<\/h4>\n

At its core, Nishaanchi<\/em> is a story about twin brothers (acted out with angry intensity, if uneven skill, by Siddhant Chaturvedi). Same looks, different personalities, they\u2019re locked in an ongoing standoff that bursts out into violence, betrayal, and power struggles.<\/p>\n

Kashyap<\/a><\/strong>, who once redefined gangster cinema with Gangs of Wasseypur, attempts to recapture that lightning in a bottle. The setup is promising\u2014brother 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\u2019re not savoring the story\u2014you\u2019re trying to keep it from collapsing.<\/p>\n

\"Kashyap\"<\/h4>\n

Performances That Try to Outgun the Script<\/h4>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It sounds like a band where one player is struggling to maintain rhythm while the others are adjusting their instruments during the song.<\/p>\n

\"Kashyap\"<\/h4>\n

Kashyap\u2019s Style: Still Bold, Sometimes Exhausting<\/h4>\n

Kashyap remains a master of atmosphere. The grimy lanes, the sweat-soaked confrontations, the operatic violence\u2014no one does cinematic grime like him. The cinematography oozes texture; every frame feels like a painting in blood and dust.<\/p>\n

But somewhere along the way, the swagger tips into self-indulgence. Critics have already noted that Nishaanchi<\/em> is Kashyap \u201cundoing Wasseypur<\/em> only to overdo it.\u201d That\u2019s not unfair. Instead of razor-sharp storytelling, we often get chaos for chaos\u2019s sake. It\u2019s bold, yes\u2014but bold doesn\u2019t always mean brilliant.<\/p>\n

\"Kashyap\"<\/h4>\n

The Music & Sound Design<\/h4>\n

Sneha Khanwalkar\u2019s soundtrack is a saving grace. Her score throbs with menace and irony, layering folk beats with industrial grit. It\u2019s not background\u2014it\u2019s foreground, often saying what the dialogue fails to.<\/p>\n

Sound design is equally immersive. Bullets don\u2019t just fire; they echo, reverberate, almost haunt. Unfortunately, no amount of auditory brilliance can fix narrative clutter.<\/p>\n

\"Kashyap\"<\/h4>\n

The Box Office Reality<\/h4>\n

Despite mixed reviews, Nishaanchi<\/em><\/a> opened strong. Day 1 collections, according to Sacnilk, touched \u20b97.85 crore<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

But sustainability is the question. Early critics\u2019 verdicts are lukewarm, calling it stylish but uneven. If word-of-mouth doesn\u2019t improve, the film risks a sharp dip after the opening weekend. Still, in an industry starved of edgy content, Nishaanchi<\/em> is already a conversation starter\u2014and that\u2019s half the battle.<\/p>\n

\"Kashyap\"<\/h4>\n

Audience Reactions: Divided Camp<\/h4>\n

Scroll called it a saga that \u201cmisses its mark.\u201d India Today lamented that Kashyap \u201coverdoes what once worked.\u201d Times of India pointed out the film\u2019s inability to balance style with substance.<\/p>\n

And yet, online chatter is split:<\/p>\n