Anek (transl. Many) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film[1] written and directed by Anubhav Sinha who also co-produced it with T-Series.[4] It stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Andrea Kevichüsa, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra and J. D. Chakravarthy.[5][6][7]
| Anek | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Anubhav Sinha |
| Written by | Story & Dialogues: Anubhav Sinha |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ewan Mulligan |
| Edited by | Yasha Ramchandani |
| Music by | Songs: Anurag Saikia Background Score: Mangesh Dhakde |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | AA Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 147 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹40 crore[2] |
| Box office | ₹11.10 crore[3] |
Anek revolves around a police official sent as a secret agent to Northeast India to bring a peace deal between the government and the separatist groups in the North East, who want to break away from India.[8][9] Anek was released in worldwide cinemas on 27 May 2022 and received negative reviews criticizing for its screenplay, direction, and denseness.[10][11]
Cast
edit- Ayushmann Khurrana as Agent Aman / Joshua
- Andrea Kevichüsa as Aido
- Manoj Pahwa as Abrar
- Kumud Mishra as Abrar's boss
- J. D. Chakravarthy as Anjaiyyah Bellamkonda IPS
- Loitongbam Dorendra Singh as Tiger Sangha
- Thejasevor Belho as Niko
- Rajib Kro as Johnson
- Sheila Devi as Emma
- Meenakshi as Gopa
Production
editFilming began in February 2021 and continued extensively throughout parts of northeastern India [12] and wrapped up within March 2021.[13][14]
Music
edit| Anek | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 7 June 2022 |
| Recorded | 2021–2022 |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 15:51 |
| Language | Hindi Nagamese English |
| Label | T-Series |
| Producer | Anurag Saikia |
The music rights of the film are owned by T-Series. The music of the film is composed by Anurag Saikia. The first single was released on 24 May 2022.[15]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Voice of Anek" | Shakeel Azmi | Sunidhi Chauhan, Vivek Hariharan, Anurag Saikia | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Oh Ku Takum" | Jonathan Lemtur | Imnanungsang Tzudir, Temsuwapang Aiee | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Shaal Wunga" | Basharat Peer | Noor Mohammad Shah, Muntazir Faraz | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Oh Mama" | Anurag Saikia | Neha Karode, Anurag Saikia | 4:02 |
| 5. | "Rabbit (Cafe Song)" | Anurag Saikia | Neha Karode | 3:02 |
| Total length: | 15:51 | |||
Release
editTheatrical
editThe film was released in theatres worldwide on 27 May 2022.[10]
Home media
editThe digital streaming rights of the film is owned by Netflix. The film streamed on Netflix from 26 June 2022.[16]
Reception
editAnek received mixed to positive reviews from critics with praise for performances and timely themes but received criticism for its screenplay and direction.[17][18]
A critic for The Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Anek, through its runtime, draws subtle parallels between the northeast and other parts of the country, in particular Jammu and Kashmir".[19] Tina Das of The Print rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Anek manages to showcase the complex layers of the insurgency in the Northeast, and it does that well".[20] Phuong Le of The Guardian rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Anek is a rare commercial film that spotlights Northeastern Indian stories, and goes out of its way to refuse to condemn guerrilla fighters as terrorists".[21] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The political message packs a punch, its power is somewhat diminished by the execution and the writing, which is rusty in places".[22] Navneet Vyasan of News 18 rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "If it wasn't for its cast, Anubhav Sinha's directorial 'Anek' would've been a test of your patience. Thankfully, it isn't".[23] Swati Chopra of The Quint rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Anek is preachy in parts, but the film has its heart in the right place and it could have done better if the film didn't feel rushed, leading to less clarity".[24] Fengyen Chiu of Mashable rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Anek tries very hard to bring forth the problems of North-east people in India but the message doesn't quite reach properly".[25]
Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Anek is sharper playing principled dissenter than uninvited saviour of the North East.[26] Sukanya Verma of Rediff rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "There's too much going on in Anek, and a lot of it is terribly disjointed".[27] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ayushmann Khurrana and the film stay woolly, being careful to stay in the middle of the while-on-the-one-side, but-also tightrope. Anubhav Sinha dips his toe into relatively unexplored territory, with mixed results".[28] Bharathi Pradhan of Lehren rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The cinematic effort to mainstream the North-East, ends up in a mess that further alienates instead of integrating".[29] Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Visually spectacular, politically blurred, well-meaning and yet Anek fails to reach out across the barrier of the screen".[30] Umesh Punwani of Koimoi rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Anubhav Sinha had so much to showcase, but he chose the wrong platform to do so".[31] Monika Rawal Kukreja of The Hindustan Times stated "Anubhav Sinha's latest political-social drama starring Ayushmann Khurrana fails to keep up with the expectations sets by Thappad, Mulk, Article 15".[32]
Accolades
edit| Year[a] | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 68th Filmfare Awards | Best Female Debut | Andrea Kevichüsa | Won | [33] |
| Best Cinematography | Ewan Mulligan | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Design | Kaamod L Kharde | Nominated | |||
| Best Background Score | Mangesh Dhakde | Nominated |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Refers to the year in which the ceremony was held.
References
edit- ^ a b "Anek". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
ANEK is a Hindi language action thriller film in which an undercover cop infiltrates a separatist group.
- ^ "Anek (2022)- Box Office India". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Anek Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Trailer: कैसे साबित होता है हम सिर्फ इंडियन हैं? आयुष्मान खुराना की 'अनेक' ने उठाया सवाल". Aaj Tak. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Trailer: Ayushmann Khurrana Is An Undercover Cop On A Mission To Find "Peace"". NDTV. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Cast List". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "'अनेक' ट्रेलर के ये 10 सेकंड हिंदी थोपने वाले तमाम लोगों के लिए ही बने हैं". The Lallantop. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek trailer: Ayushmann Khurrana, Anubhav Sinha reunite for film on the otherisation of the North East. Watch". Hindustan Times. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek motion teaser: Ayushmann Khurrana's 'mission for peace begins', watch". The Indian Express. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ a b Hymavathi, Ravali. "Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Anek' Gets A New Release Date". The Hans India (Press release). Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ "'Anek' trailer: Ayushmann Khurrana film looks at discrimination in the North-East". Scroll. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "After 'Article 15', Anubhav Sinha & Ayushmann Khurrana come together for their next titled 'Anek'". National Herald (Press release). 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Anek Trailer: 'जीतेगा कौन? हिंदुस्तान' आयुष्मान खुराना की 'अनेक' का दमदार ट्रेलर रिलीज". Navbharat Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Ayushmann Khurrana wraps up Anubhav Sinha's Anek, calls it very special". India Today (Press release). 20 March 2021. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ @TSeries (24 May 2022). "Anek mein hoon Ek main! #VoiceOfAnek Sunne ke baad har Hindustani ab bas yahi kahegaSong out now :…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ayushman Khurana's Anek on OTT: Release date, where to watch, cast, and plot". India Today. 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Anek box office collection Day 1: Ayushmann Khurrana film fails to pull people to cinema halls". The Indian Express. 28 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
Anek has received a mixed response from film critics.
- ^ "Anek Review: Ayushmann Khurrana's Political Thriller Helmed by Anubhav Sinha Gets Mixed Reactions From Critics". Latestly. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Movie Review : An unsettling, thought-provoking narrative from the northeast". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anubhav Sinha's Anek only mildly hints at AFSPA violence in Northeast but drives point home". The Print. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek review – gunfights, boxing and what it means to be Indian". The Guardian. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Movie Review". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Review: Ayushmann Khurrana-Starrer May Test Your Patience, But It's Worthwhile". News 18. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Review: Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Anek' Has Its Heart in the Right Place". The Quint. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "'Anek' Review: Ayushman Khuranna, Anubhav Sinha Shed Light On Plight Of North-East Indians But Its No 'Article 15'". Mashable. Retrieved 27 May 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "'Anek' review: Political thriller muddles its way through the North East". Scroll.in. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Review". Rediff. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek movie review: Ayushmann Khurran, Andrea film swings between conviction and a cop-out". The Indian Express. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Review: Too Much Makes It Messy". Lehren. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek movie review: A Kashmiri Muslim symbolising the ruthless Indian establishment in the North-East? C'mon!". Firstpost. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek Movie Review: Ayushmann Khurrana's Message Loses In Translation, Creating A Complicated Chaos!". Koimoi. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Anek review: Ayushmann Khurrana skillfully shoulders this relevant film that loses focus after every few steps". The Hindustan Times. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Winners of the 68th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2023". Filmfare. 28 April 2023. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.