Anurag Kashyap's Nishaanchi opens to muted box office, mixed reviews

Anurag Kashyap's long-awaited crime drama Nishaanchi opened in Indian theaters on September 19, 2025, arriving amid heavy industry buzz generated by a trailer and celebrity endorsements but registering a subdued first-day box office, trade estimates and critics said. The film, which Kashyap has described as a throwback with a modern twist, follows twin brothers on opposite moral paths in small town Uttar Pradesh and marks a high-profile theatrical return for the director.

Nishaanchi stars debutant Aaishvary Thackeray, credited in some reports as Aishwarya Thackeray, in a double role as twins Babloo and Dabloo, with Vedika Pinto, Monika Panwar, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Kumud Mishra in supporting parts. Kashyap has said he developed the story over nearly nine years and set it in Kanpur in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The trailer, which combines action, family drama and a nostalgic soundtrack, drew public praise from established stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, with Khan sharing a reaction video to the film's poster.

Despite the pre-release excitement, trade figures reported a low opening day take, estimating nett collections between 0.1 crore...