5 reasons why Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Anek managed to strike a chord with the audience

The beauty of an Anubhav Sinha film is his ability to unearth stories that mainstream Bollywood has not spoken about. His last film Anek wasn’t any different. Bringing to Bollywood the tale of political and social strife in the North East, Anek is amongst the most power-packed stories of recent times. Let’s look at 5 reasons why Anek impressed the audience.

1. Reunion of Ayushmann Khurrana and Anubhav Sinha:

Having delivered the spectacular Article 15 together in the past, Anek follows up on the dependable actor-director Jodi of Khurrana and Sinha. Known to deliver quality work each time, the duo outdid themselves with Anek that in many ways is grittier, sharper and more courageous than their last outing

 

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2. Authentic casting:

Casting is a key facet of Anek, making it one of the pan-India movie’s only instances to hire actors from the Northeast. The leading lady, Andrea Kevichusa, is Bollywood’s first mainstream actress from Nagaland. The film hired a slew of talented actors from the North East to bring authenticity to the film.

3. An earnest attempt of bringing an untouched subject of North East:

The film’s potent telling highlights how mainstream India has categorically marginalised the North East. The zone has not found an empathetic ear from media or mainland citizens, thus finding itself rather handicapped in handling its social fabric on its own. The film delves into the psyche of those marginalised and how it leads to them getting indoctrinated to turn against the law. There is an entire sequence in the movie, where the film compares North East to Kashmir, shedding light on how the beauty of the region has been compromised for politics.

4. Celebrating inclusivity and evoking patriotism:

The movie does highlight the issue of racism faced by the people from the North-East. That said, the film through the eyes of a single boxer’s journey echoes a larger feeling. As a film critic noted in Anek’s review, what Mary Kom would’ve felt after winning medals and holding the Indian flag. There is pride and also confusion in representing a country that doesn’t really treat you as one of its citizens but you play for making the country proud and ultimately the country looks up to you. This is the exact emotion Anek portrays through the film, keeping alive the feeling of being Indian.

5. Balanced telling for the intellectual audience:

One of Anek’s strengths is its ability to tell a deft story without taking sides. It beautifully shows the struggles of mainland India and its lack of awareness of a crucial part of India and the struggles faced by people in the North East who continue to remain marginalised. Anchored by strong performances, like that of Manoj Pahwa, and Kumud Mishra amongst others; the film brings forth agendas and issues of both sides. It presents the audience with the situation and leaves it up to them to comprehend and pick or leave sides accordingly to their will and understanding of that situation.

Also read: Anek Review: Ayushmann Khurrana delivers a strong performance but Anubhav Sinha’s narration seems chaotic