There are films that satiate the desires of commerce and there are some films that try to serve a larger purpose. Anubhav Sinha’s Anek can be credited to do the latter.
Anek released last Friday has expectedly garnered reactions that seem slightly polarised on social media, but what the film achieves successfully is that it educates the audiences who remain oblivious to issues of North East.
Anek takes the theme of one’s identity as an Indian and delves deeper into its many connotations.
Anek is a film that is designed to be a conversation starter and that it successfully achieves.
The film highlights multiple issues of the region – from othering, feeling alienated by mainstream, the political ignorance of the region.
Andrea Kevichusa’s character who is a boxer from the region, also highlights how there’s limited opportunities and access meted out to brilliant sportsmen from the region. The zone has been placed front and center for the first time in a mainstream Hindi cinema and that itself paves way to more conversation to ensue on the subject. Anek’s win is its ability to get people thinking.
A dialogue mentioning about Article 370 and Article 371 is something that probably people who follow politics and news might be aware of since most of us got to know about the same only on the abrogation of article 370. Anek has made aware the rest of the population about Article 371 too. Not just that, a simple mention that the North East is connected to the larger part of India only through a narrow stretch of land of about 21-22 Kms comes as a shocker. One might have read about the the Seven Sisters States, but probably Anek reveals the situation in a more fierce manner.
The cinephiles and intelligentsia of the country and world over are applauding Sinha’s guts for making the film. Being the first mainstream movie that highlights the turbulence of the North East, the film has been credited for pushing the envelope with the theme of inclusivity. Staying true to its subject, majority of the film’s key cast hails from the region.
Trade analysts are looking at a lifetime cumulative of approximately 18 to 20 crores, which puts it in a secured space as the film is mounted smartly on a correct budget. Looking at the content of Anek and say that of a movie like Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, the masses are easily more attracted towards BB2. One can easily guess that a film like Anek should make a good watch for the more serious and senior audience who might just catch it up once it releases on an OTT platform. That should be a better view where people can pause, rewind and replay to get a better understanding of the many informative dialogues.
Anubhav Sinha and Ayushmann Khurrana’s attempt yet again after Article 15 was to address a strong issue and this time shed light on the socio- political conflicts in the northeast which the dynamic duo has been appreciated for.