Nishaanchi Review

The film opens in Kanpur, and you can smell the authenticity. The gallis, the slang, the people — nothing feels plastic. From the first frame, you know it’s an Anurag Kashyap movie. The dialogues are sharp, pure Kanpuriya, and they hit differently when someone like Durgesh Kumar (the Panchayat actor, here as a bank guard) delivers them. Even the first bank robbery scene is laced with comedy that feels so natural you can’t help but laugh — it’s gritty and hilarious at the same time.

The Wasseypur Shadow

There’s no denying it: Nishaanchi feels like it’s walking straight out of the Gangs of Wasseypur universe. The rustic aura, the language, the violence — all present. Even the first song, sung in raw Kanpuriya style, pulls you into that same world. Zeeshan’s voice, especially, wins you over right away. But here’s the catch: the resemblance is so strong that the film struggles to step out of Wasseypur’s shadow.

Vineet Kumar Singh: The Heart of the Film

Vineet Kumar is once again a powerhouse. His first murder scene breathes fire into the film, dragging it from ordinary to electric. The way he heats up the narrative every time he’s on screen — this is Kashyap’s biggest win here. His chemistry with Monika Panwar works beautifully, their pairing feels authentic. And when Vineet dies, the moment is staged with such intensity and emotion that it lingers — it’s easily the film’s most memorable scene.

Kumud Mishra Adds Weight

When Kumud Mishra enters, the film suddenly feels heavier. His dialogues are crafted like punches, and he delivers them with quiet force. If Vineet is the film’s soul, Kumud is its spine. His presence alone makes the narrative look sturdier than it actually is.

Music and Atmosphere: Kashyap’s Comfort Zone

If you’ve followed Kashyap’s work, you know he doesn’t just “add songs,” he builds scenes around them. Nishaanchi proves that again. From an English track sung in a desi style (hilarious and clever) to Piyush Mishra’s voice layered over a gunfight, the music is stitched into the film’s veins. Even the “films ka naam” song is a standout. Background scores, especially in action and jail scenes, are brilliantly placed.

But Where Is the Story?

This is where Nishaanchi collapses. There is a plot, sure, but it’s a recycled one. Fathers kill, sons take revenge, betrayals unfold, and blood spills, but we’ve seen all this before, done better. The family at the film’s center almost feels like the most reckless in Bollywood history. The decisions they make are so bizarre that you’re torn between disbelief and frustration. To make things worse, Monika Panwar’s character doesn’t age despite the time jumps, breaking immersion.

The narrative drags on for three hours, stretching what could’ve been said in half the time. By the end, the film abruptly announces “Part One ends”, promising a sequel that we can only hope brings more substance than this first outing.

Final Verdict

Nishaanchi has everything Kashyap fans crave — authentic UP setting, brilliant dialogues, crackling performances from Vineet Kumar and Kumud Mishra, and a soundtrack that ties it all together. But beneath all that, the story is thin, repetitive, and nowhere near strong enough to carry the film into 2025.

This could have been the film to make us forget Wasseypur. Instead, it reminds us just how far behind Kashyap is when he doesn’t bring freshness to his storytelling.