The film Nishaanchi begins with a no purpose azaan, the Muslim call for prayer, the location shown isLucknow, but dateline is Kanpur, and there is a bank robbery, which lacked everything. There was no strength. Unlike the trademark of Anurag Kashyap-the director. Everything looked jaded.
The security person looked feline, there was firing, and police arrived too. Catches Babloo (Aaishvary Thackeray). His girlfriend Rinku (Vedika Pinto) and his body double Dabloo escape the scene. The twin brother’s mother is Manjiri (Monica Panwar) who played a young widow. From here the story gets going. Babloo was sent to jail, and after a brawl, was further sent to Central Jail in New Delhi.
Manijri, a sport person, who got many medals in trap-shooting, married a wrestler Jabardast (Vineet Kumar Singh). Jabardast was excellent; he won over Sunil Prasad, son-in-law of Bhola Pehelwan, but instead of captaincy was denied even a place in the team. Sunil Prasad took the coveted place.
Sunil was promiscuous. Had fathered a child from another woman. Jabardast fallen face and downcast chest smacked of a scene straight from Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara. Jabardast kills Sunil. Was sentenced. Gets killed in jail. He was handcuffed from behind. Remember how Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Ashraf were killed, both handcuffed, in a televised murder. Where is any surprise?
Manjiri-the young widow had to bring up two kids. All foes and friends of her husband eyed on her. She remained strong. Started sewing and handled household chores. Inspector Kamal (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), physically manhandled her on an open street. She made Babloo to study and also to take aim in shooting. Babloo became a Nishaanchi-who never missed an aim! He grows up to ten years, burnt himself in the fire to seek revenge and kills Bhola Pehelwan. Gangs of Wasseypur came into focus. Why the rehash?
After prison Babloo comes back trying to emulate Al Pacino of Scarface and scares his younger brother Dabloo who came to jail to receive him with his would-be gang members. Babloo wanted to be known, from then onwards, as Tony Montana ( of Scarface fame) , even had a scar on his face, but distinctively dissimilar, he could not , as a matter of fact, enthuse the viewers with the novelty of Bhiku Mhatre of Satya, though there are a few scenes as if straight from director’s own previous endeavour. The director clearly lacked vision as he just wanted to simulate Babloo on the same lines.
The aim got awry. Kumud Mishra as Ambika Prasad-the mafiosi, disappointed the most. He could not unshackle his own image from Doctor Arora. No where he stood in comparison to Bhau Thakurdas Jhawle of Satya.
Babloo after his first stint in jail, goes to meet Ambika Prasad and not his mother. He takes his command and went on to shoot Rinku’s father, who had refused to vacate the house where Ambika wanted to build a shopping mall. Babloo killed him in a batting of an eyelid but before he was shot he had shut Rinku-a danseuse, behind the door. As his dead body lay, Rinku weeps loudly, Babloo finds her, and immediately fell into her love. The film gets into an extended flashback.
She continues to take her dancing classes, while Babloo stalks her, and finally expressed his love. The battered girl had no choice. But, the scenes lacked intensity. Both were young yet the spark was missing.
In order to survive she takes to street-dancing, subjected to understandable lewdness from audiences. Babloo fights for her. Revolts against Ambika Prasad who had sent a shooter to kill Rinku as she had
refused to leave the house. Here, the director comes in his flair. The assault on Rinku is ruthless , the killer takes her by her hair, throws her on floor. Vulnerability of women comes to the fore. Heart churns here.
Finally Babloo kills the shooter, over heard by Ambika on phone. Thereafter , Babloo makes Rinku and Dabloo form a new gang. Performs a bank robbery which spluttered and his second stint to jail had to begin.
This jail journey is to last for seven years. Babloo was teased over Rinku by jail ruffians, which is quite obvious, but here comes up Babloo’s honour at stake. Rinku is oblivious to the brutal fight Babloo has, instead, Dabloo and Rinku started to see in each other eyes. Manjri cautions them. The director, here, tries to pull up two sentiments which simultaneously run in every individual. Both Babloo and Dabloo were born at a gap of ten minutes, Babloo took to crime and Dabloo remained a homely boy, but Dabloo is uncaring, he extends his desires for Rinku, on the same lines what the lecherous jail hooligans did. What the difference?
Ultimately, Manjiri goes to Ambika, tells she was leaving for another city. The baggage gets packed, but the real baggage for future props up! Rinku finds the half-torn picture of her and her father, which was kept as a possession by Babloo, which Babloo had torn after killing her father. Though Babloo had denied it. If he was the real hero, or an anti-hero, he should have owned it! She laments, takes to bath, aggressively washes her lips and limbs, which meant she had got united with Babloo. The first-part ends.
What is into for the second part? Babloo and Dabloo are to have a Karan-Arjun fight over Rinku? Rinku will side with whom? Babloo did kill her father but was devoted in love for her. Likewise is Dabloo. Where will be second part focused? Or will Rinku, may be will kill them both? These are conjectures but let see if Anurag Kashyap throws a surprise, which has always been his forte.
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The writer is a former UP State Information Commissioner and a film reviewer.
