‘Nishaanchi’ came out of very personal and instinctive space: Anurag Kashyap

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap says his upcoming movie “Nishaanchi” is a return to the raw, instinctive style of filmmaking that first defined his cinematic voice.

The filmmaker, known for Black Friday, Gangs of Wasseypur and Mukkabaaz, said the idea for Nishaanchi came to him nearly a decade ago.

“’Nishaanchi’ was born out of a very personal and instinctive space. I wrote the film back in 2016, right after Mukkabaaz. There was an urgency to return to my older, more raw style of filmmaking, working with newer talent and staying closer to the ground,” Kashyap said in a statement.

The crime drama follows the intertwined lives of twin brothers Babloo and Dabloo, set against the backdrop of the Hindi heartland.

It features debutant Aaishvary Thackray in a double role along with Vedika Pinto, Monika Panwar, Kumud Mishra, and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub.

The story, the director recalled, stemmed from an idea about a mother and her twins that had been with him for a while.

“At the time, I found myself wondering: what if I consciously wrote a story that could be mounted on a bigger scale?… So, I began writing it, and within three to four days, the first draft of ‘Nishaanchi’ was ready. From there, I started exploring ways to make it larger in scale and vision,” Kashyap said.

The film’s journey from script to screen was, however, anything but straightforward, he said.

“It wasn’t until I met Aaishvary that the film found its footing again. I casually handed him the script in 2020 or 2021. He instantly connected with the story—he was laughing and thoroughly engaged. When he came back to me, I told him upfront: this role demands immense preparation and commitment, and we wouldn’t begin until he was fully ready. That’s how ‘Nishaanchi’ finally came back to life.

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“I met Vedika Pinto in 2022, and everything began to fall into place. She and Aaishvary spent a significant amount of time together in Kanpur, attending multiple workshops, absorbing the environment, and working on their language and chemistry. It was only once I felt they were truly ready that I began pitching the film. Interestingly, the project found its momentum in the most unexpected way,” Kashyap added.

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Produced by Flip Films and Jar Pictures, the Amazon MGM Studios India project is scheduled to release theatrically across the country on September 19.