Anubhav Sinha’s Anek is a layered narrative about efforts to negotiate a peace treaty in the northeast with a separatist group, a process that has gone on for decades without a conclusion. A covert operative, Aman (Ayushmann Khurrana), who goes by the alias Joshua, is tasked with creating a situation that brings Tiger Sangha (Loitongbam Dorendra), the top rebel leader of the region, to the negotiation table. Along the way, Aman finds that everything isn’t as black and white as he had initially thought and finds himself conflicted, emotionally and professionally.
The film is a delight to watch due to its powerful performances by Ayushmann Khurrana, Manoj Pahwa, Andrea Kevichüsa, Kumud Mishra, Loitongbam Dorendra, and JD Chakraverti. In his usual style, Anubhav Sinha leaves the audience with plenty of unsettling questions – primarily, what makes you an Indian. The chilling background score, the intricate production design, the visual tone, cinematography and action pieces, play beautifully into the narrative. After urging audiences of his previous films to think about equality and justice in the context of religion, caste and gender, Anubhav Sinha does so yet again in the context of region and delivers a thought-provoking tale told in a thoroughly engaging way.
BollyNews UK 