Anek is a film addressing multiple issues from the North East part of India. Now addressing any topic/issue related to the North East will not be easy considering the fact that it is complicated and just a 150 minute runtime may not be enough. But the very fact that such a movie has been attempted makes for a huge round of applause. Ofcourse, each state will have its own set of problems and combining it under the “North East” category may not be appropriate. But that would not mean that the issues which are being discussed in the film should be brushed under the carpet. If there is an issue, it needs discussion which the film does while weaving a tale around it.

I have always maintained that as a reviewer your job is to stay unbiased and focus on the film rather than its agenda. But I did see certain reviews and could almost see an agenda through them. Either the reviewers were ignorant of the issue or a scholar of it with the way they were questioning the intent of the film. But coming to the screenplay, the writers opt for a verbose one, something which we did witness in Anubhav Sinha’s previous work Mulk as well. You have to understand that this is a dialogue heavy film. So if you as a viewer do not have the slightest inkling of the issue being addressed, you will more likely be lost in the film.

The film tries to go through a bunch of issues involving the locals, the officials and the rebels(through different interconnected plots and subplots). The proceedings are interesting although the film is a slow burn and it would cater to only a limited section of the audience. The method implied here is of telling the viewer about the issue instead of showing it. Now, I didn’t quite mind this technique which has been used in several foreign language films too. What this demands is your complete attention to the lines. Only then will you fully get a crux of what is happening throughout the film. If you are looking for entertainment, you won’t find it. Another aspect was that the proceedings were kept subtle and not in your face(an example of which was The Kashmir Files which was in your face). So the momentary shift in the narrative might be lost if you aren’t completely focussed.

But the film has its set of flaws too. I felt the characterization of almost all characters was a major flaw. There was a trade off between addressing the issue or making it a specific human tale. While the former did work for me, the latter could have been better as you do not feel a sense of connection with any character. But having said that the proceedings are cerebral and interesting with interesting anecdotes(and potshots) thrown in the narrative time and again. This culminates into an effective final act summing up a restrained yet sincere screenplay. The messaging of unity in diversity is a great one and something which I cannot emphasize enough especially in today’s times.