Ayushmann is on point, but the film is all over the place

Picking subjects that are controversial yet relevant and need to be discussed, and then basing a film on it, may sound like a good bet. However, the final product doesn’t always make the landing that you’d expect it to. That’s exactly what has happened with Ayushmann Khurrana’s latest outing, Anek. Directed and written by Anubhav Sinha, the film — which marks his second collaboration with Khurrana after Article 15 (2019) — falters at several places.

Sinha’s last three directorial projects — Mulk (2018), Article 15 and Thappad (2020) — have all hit the right chord and successfully started a conversation. But, with Anek, he just couldn’t create an immersive experience that gets you thinking once you leave the theatre. With a storyline that’s pretty confusing to begin with, followed by a narrative that appears convoluted at most places, the film’s intentions are, indeed, all over the place. Sinha somehow tries to address many pressing issues in the two-hour 30-minute runtime, but sadly, fails to do justice to all.

Set against the backdrop of northeast India, Anek focuses on an undercover agent Joshua (Khurrana), who is on a mission to restore peace in the region and ease the political tensions that have long plagued this belt of the country. During this mission, he meets Aido (newcomer Andrea Kevichusa), a boxer from the region who is struggling to tackle biases while chasing her dream of securing a position in the Indian national team. Joshua also has an interesting tryst with Aido’s father, Wangnao (Mipham Otsal), a school teacher who is secretly nurturing a rebel group against government forces.

While Sinha has picked up the right nuances when it comes to casting actors from the northeast, authentic locations, dialogues and the severity of the conflict that he wishes to highlight, he fails to weave them together into a compelling story that would keep you hooked. The entire first half of the film is spent on building up a premise that never really reaches a destination. The film looks a bit stretched in the first half, with more time spent on character building than showing the actual tension that people in northeast India face every single day of their lives.

That being said, Anek is high on patriotism and thankfully, that never takes the form of jingoism, something that’s quite common in Hindi films. The way Sinha has tried to show racial abuse that people from the northeast deal with on a daily basis and their ordeal to prove that they are 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 shed light on the situation in the northeast, which many talk about, but nobody has really shown the courage to delve deep into.

You can say that Anek is definitely a very important film and quite relevant in today’s times. I only wish, though, that the execution of the film was a bit simpler, with a more focused screenplay that Sinha has co-written with Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani.

Khurrana, as Joshua, undertakes his mission with sincerity and diligence, even at a point when his loyalty is questioned. He is gritty as Joshua, carries his role with confidence and is softer in scenes of helpless situations. It won’t be wrong to say that the actor skillfully shoulders the film.

Kevichusa, who has made her Bollywood debut with Anek, delivers a decent performance for a first timer, though I did feel her character could have been fleshed out in a much better way with more to do than just boxing in the ring. Upon realising what Joshua and her father are up to, she doesn’t really do anything that you would ideally expect one to in such a situation. Wangnao’s character arc, on the other hand, is quite strong. He evokes an emotion you can connect with. Actors Kumud Mishra and Manoj Pahwa also put their experience and expertise to good use, delivering some great scenes.

To sum up, Anek has its heart in the right place and is made with all the right intentions, but it is the execution that’s a bit disappointing. It’s not a story that everyone would understand with equal amounts of empathy and interest.