Nishaanchi Review: Kashyap’s Potboiler Nearly Matches Gangs of Wasseypur, But Doesn’t Quite Reach It

Nishaanchi Review: Anurag Kashyap’s New Bullet Fired from Gangs of Wasseypur Gun Almost Hits the Mark

Anurag Kashyap’s Nishaanchi arrives as a loud claim: a film meant to “undo” Gangs of Wasseypur, but instead it ends up dancing on its shadows. While it offers enough flash, grit, humour, and performances to keep you engaged, it also reveals that stepping out of one’s comfort zone is harder than firing bullets from an old gun.

What Nishaanchi Gets Right

1. Powerful Casting & Performances Debutant Aaishvary Thackeray impresses, especially given he plays twin brothers with very different temperaments. Babloo is brash, flamboyant and dangerous; Dabloo soft, principled, protective. He manages to keep the two separate in personality and presence. Supporting actors like Vedika Pinto (Rinku), Monika Panwar (Manjiri), Kumud Mishra (Ambika Prasad) add texture—some scenes feel richly inhabited.

2. Bollywood’s Local Heart & Small-Town Politics Kashyap leans into region, dialect, uniforms of small-town life. Kanpur is not just backdrop—it feels like character. The betrayals, fights over land, family feuds, and the grime of ambition are familiar territory, but Kashyap still knows how to generate atmosphere. The feel of the world around the protagonists anchors many dramatic beats.

3. Humour and Nostalgia There are humorous interludes that break weight: awkward English, family banters, dialect quirks. Some flashback romantic sequences—particularly those involving an earlier generation—are tender, giving glimpses of dreams unfulfilled. The film also pays tribute to earlier Bollywood works (even lines or references) in ways that both amuse and feel like callbacks.

Where It Falters: Overindulgence & Repetition

1. Shadow of Gangs of Wasseypur One recurring complaint: Nishaanchi borrows too heavily. The twin brothers with opposing morality, the local goon politics, the long arcs of revenge, betrayals, flaring ambition—all strike echoes of GoW. Critics say it doesn’t always bring a fresh twist; sometimes it feels derivative rather than reinvented.

2. Length & Pacing At nearly three hours, +- runtime is a tests of patience. The first half moves well, but mid-film stretches drag, some momentum is lost. Songs drop in spots that feel too decorative rather than organically necessary, breaking tension rather than enhancing it.

3. Mixed Tonal Balance The film swings between melodrama, high violence, romance, comedy—all in one breath. Sometimes that collision is exhilarating; other times it’s disorienting. Emotional high points are occasionally undercut by scenes that feel self-aware, meta, or overly referential without contributing substance.

4. Character Depth & Stakes Some roles—particularly of the matriarchal figure Manjiri or certain antagonists—while promising, feel under-explored. The setup suggests potential for moral conflict, but doesn’t always follow through. Stakes are emotional and familial, but not always urgent or transformative.

Verdict: Almost Hitting the Bullseye

Nishaanchi doesn’t completely escape being another gangster-family drama, but it’s bold, messy, ambitious—and often entertaining. For fans of Gangs of Wasseypur, it offers enough to enjoy while reminding them of what made Kashyap’s earlier epic work. But for those hoping for something radically new, not just a well-made pastiche, this one may feel like a near miss.

If Part Two sharpens its focus, trims its excesses, and deepens its stakes, it could redeem what sometimes starts to feel overdone. For now, Nishaanchi is a strong first half, even if the second leaves you wanting more.