For Anurag Kashyap, the women at the heart of his stories have always had one thing in common - a name. Across his films, whenever a female character embodies strength, resilience, or quiet power, she is called "Manjri." This is no accident.
The filmmaker told NDTV that he borrows the name from his mother, Manjiri, a homemaker who now lives with his father in Varanasi.
"Whenever I have a stronger female character, she's always been called Manjri," Kashyap said.
"In Nayak, Rani Mukerji was called Manjri. In Shool, Raveena Tandon was called Manjri. I'm just not imaginative enough to give any other name. She keeps it all together. And she's extremely sensitive as well," he added.
His upcoming film Nishaanchi, releasing on September 19, continues that tradition. Actress Monika Panwar plays Amma, whose real name in the film is Manjri, the emotional anchor in a story of twin brothers caught between loyalty and rebellion.
The film follows Babloo and Dabloo, twin brothers identical in looks but opposite in their values. Their lives spiral through brotherhood, betrayal, love, and redemption, weaving through the underbelly of crime into a deeper reflection on human nature and its consequences.
Aaishvary Thackeray makes his debut in the challenging double role, supported by Vedika Pinto, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and Kumud Mishra.
By naming his character Manjri once again, Anurag Kashyap signals that Amma is more than a supporting presence, she is the moral spine of the film, the one who holds the fractured world of Nishaanchi together. In doing so, he also extends a cinematic tribute to his own mother, whose influence quietly runs through his storytelling.
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