Anek Review: Anek was one of the movies we were looking forward to the most. The trailer, the promotional campaigns, and the cast everything pointed out that it would be a very good movie. And to a certain extent, that is the case.
Anek is in a very weird predicament. It is a kind of movie that depends on what the first audiences will say about the movie. And the fact that it is being released together with one of the most awaited movies of the year, Top Gun: Maverick, does not help with that fact.
But a quest to showcase what an Indian is in how a person will be loyal to their own country depending on their experiences. It is such a weird yet essential topic. You can even say that it is downright brave to pick a topic like this.
Because no matter what you do with a topic like this, someone is going to be angry. And it is such a vast and a very hard topic to put on the screen. So, let’s take a look at all the good and bad aspects of the movie and whether it is worth it.
Anek Review: Plot

More than a rebellion story, the movie’s real storyline comes from the characters that it portrays movie portrays so many characters says, and everyone’s intentions and goals and different. And you can’t say none of them is wrong.
You have Aido who is aspiring to become a boxer so she can represent her state on the international stage. On the other hand, her father is a teacher by occupation. But in reality, he is functioning as a rebel group against the government.
And then our main protagonist, Joshua. A secret agent in the northern area of the country. And he is always sandwiched between morals and what his duty demands him to do. Even the North Indian states can be considered as characters in this movie.
As every state has its own story to unfold. There are lots of inspiration from the real incidents that have happened over the years in these states. Other characters as well, with their own past and stories are depicted in this movie.
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Anek Review: What Worked For The Movie?
Performances
There are lots of decent performances in the movie. Ayushmann Khurrana does his best but still left a lot to be desired. Something you don’t expect to see in his performances. Andrea Kevichüsa was also impressed at certain points in her debut.
But the real stars of the movie are undoubtedly Mipham Otsal and the character of Emma. They portrayed the struggle completely that was left desired by other performers. And the person who stole the show completely has to be Manoj Pahwa.
He just showed us once again why he is such a good actor and needs to be recognized more and more.
Cinematography
The cinematography is such a piece of art in this movie. But that too comes in moments. There are certain shots that will stay with you for a very long time. How the director captured the natural beauty of the region.
It also shows how dreadful it really is on the other hand. The contrast between these two frames is somewhat poetic and does justice to the plot which was somewhat lacking.
Action Sequences
We just watched Top Gun yesterday, so we don’t know what can top those action scenes. But Anek also portrays some really amazing action scenes. And considering the setting of the movie, they might even keep you at the edge.
Anek Review: What Went Wrong For The Movie?

Screenplay
Even after so many characters and recurring themes, the screenplay should have been ground shaking or even interesting. But the fact that it was nothing as expected really underwhelms the movie.
All the northeastern states are comprised as one just for convenience. And when you are portraying something opposite of that it really affects the movie in a bad way.
Trying Too Much
We know that this is a complex and hard topic to cover. But the fact is that Anubhav Sinha has made a movie like this before where he balanced everything out. Yes, we are talking about Article 15.
But Anek is just the opposite of that. Too much preaching and speeches and the movie completely lost its organic plot that should have been the focus of the movie. Too many scenes just come out of nowhere and seem abrupt.
It was like they were showing us thought-provoking scenes just for the sake of it. And it felt really odd and weird. Something which should not have been the case.
Runtime
Anek has lots to offer. So much that the runtime of just 2 hours and 7 minutes is just not enough. The movie has socio-political issues, a father-daughter relationship, a rebel group, a moral point of view and all the struggles to show.
And merely 2 hours are not enough to show all of that. Anek fails to go into the depth of any of these sub-plots and that might be the biggest failure of the movie in our eyes.
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Anek Review: Is it Worth It?
We should applaud Anubhav Sinha for his intent and what he tried to do. Not many makers will pick a topic like this, let alone make a movie on that. But it fails in so many aspects and it is visible throughout.
We wanted to like Anek completely but there are so many things that will annoy you and ultimately upset you because of what this movie could have been instead of what it is.
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