Kashif Ur Rehman Anubhav Sinha’s venture, Anek, is his next outing in his strong trilogy of socially impactful stories and marks his second collaboration with Ayushman Khurana after his last film, Article 15. Anek aims to bring light to India’s North-South conflict, a topic paramount to the nation yet severely underexplored in Hindi cinema. Sinha, in his usual style, negotiates multiple viewpoints in Anek while slyly letting the audience know whose side he is on.
Sinha’s story is set in an unnamed North-Eastern state and revolves around its leading militant leader, Tiger Sanga (Loitongbam Dorendra Singh) and an undercover cop, Joshua (Ayushmann Khurrana) who effectively serves powerful, self-interested Indian politicians who have vested interests in signing the peace accord. However, a separate active rebel group named Johnson is born into fruition and begins to stand in the way of Joshua’s mission.
Anek bravely asks the audience why people of certain parts of India have to repeatedly prove their love and worth for the country, and echoes the entrenched distrust that a section of the Northeast people have for Delhi.
Sinha’s dialogues consistently hit bullseye in successfully juxtaposing the North-East issue with the situation in Kashmir, and highlights the difference between peace and control. In a parallel story, Aido yearns to win a medal for the country despite the discrimination she faces because of her regional identity. Sinha persistently challenges the audience with the question: how can we root for Aido in Indian colours, yet simultaneously calling girls like her Chinese? What Sinha does particularly well is not falling into the trap of using heavy-duty, cliché lines or overt jingoism to convey his message.
Overall, Anek is a film that must be watched purely for its perceptive inquiry into a disturbing truth which needs to be faced.