ANEK (NE is North East)

A No Spoilers Review

ANEK

Anubhav Sinha moves ahead in his series of films handling relevant prevailent social issues

Mulk , Article 15 ,Thappad and now Anek.

Anek is a film about political conflict and cultural identity that puts the spotlight on Northeast India.

Anek Set in an unnamed North-Eastern state, Anubhav Sinha’s story introduces us to the two sides of the tale – one led by a militant leader of the state’s largest rebel group Tiger Sanga (Loitongbam Dorendra Singh), and the other headlined by an undercover cop Joshua (Ayushmann Khurrana) who plays the tunes of high ranked Indian politicians wanting to sign the peace accord for their own benefits.

Joshua is on a mission to restore peace in the Northeastern region of India and the political situation that has for long plagued this belt of the country. During his task, he meets Aido, a Northeastern Indian boxer (newcomer Andrea Kevichüsa) who is struggling with biases while chasing her dream to secure a position on the Indian national team. Khurrana also has an interesting tryst with Aido's father, Wangnao (Mipham Otsal), a school teacher who has a secret.

Somewhere in the middle of these two, there is another active rebel group named ‘Johnson’, members of which start to mess up the mission.

While Sinha has picked up the right nuances when it comes to casting actors from the North East, authentic locations, dialogues, the severity of the conflict that he wants to highlight keeps you hooked. 

That being said, Anek is high on patriotism and thankfully that never takes the form of jingoism that's quite common in Hindi films. The way Sinha has tried to show racial abuse that people from the North East deal with on a daily basis, their ordeal to prove that they're as much a part of India, are great elements and do work in places. Also, you can't disregard that this is one of the very few commercial films that has attempted to put focus on the worrisome situation in the North East, which many talk about but nobody really shows the courage to delve deep into. After films like The Kashmir Files, you can say that Anek is definitely a very important film and quite relevant in today's times. 

Among other supporting cast members, Kumud Mishra and Manoj Pahwa bring their experience to good use and deliver some great scenes. Pahwa's Abrar, a Kashmiri Muslim often likening the NE situation to the Kashmir situation, oscillates between hostile and hardened.

To sum up, Anek has its heart at the right place and is made with all the right intentions, 

Peace is a subjective hypothesis  Anek deals with the way the idea of peace can often be Utopian and be subjective. Peace for one doesn’t always translate to peace for all.

Do you want Peace or a Peace Treaty is the question asked..

Chakravarthy (Satya) is also a senior IPS shown and the discussion between him and Ayushyaman about North/ South India and regionalism is terrific.

We see Khurrana undertake his mission with all sincerity and diligence even when his loyalty is questioned. He is gritty as a cop, carries his role with confidence and is softer in scenes of helpless situations. It won't be wrong to say that he skillfully shoulders the film.

Cinematography is top class as the camera and drones catch the beauty of North East.

Background music is apt.

Recommended to be seen on big screen or wait till it comes on OTT.