Apurva Movie Review: Tara Sutaria makes her OTT debut with the thriller film ‘Apurva’, in which she plays a titular role. The movie focuses on Apurva, who is on her way to Agra to meet her fiance but gets kidnapped by some dangerous local gangsters and what follows is Apurva’s fight for survival.
Directed and written by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, ‘Apurva’ is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Review
What works in the film:
‘Apurva’ establishes its dark and ruthless world from the very first scene when the gangsters and their brutality are introduced. The movie does not drag the storyline and manages to keep you on the edge of the seat with its building suspense in various scenes. Tara’s character Apurva is portrayed beautifully in the flashback scenes and her transition to a scared yet fierce woman is truly commendable. Her love story with her fiance, played by Dhairya Karwa, is simply heartwarming which makes it even more distressing to see the torment faced by Apurva.
Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat does not shy away from showcasing the violent nature of ‘Apurva’, which makes the film more intriguing and realistic to watch. The movie becomes more captivating as it progresses and shows Apurva’s gut-wrenching journey of survival from the ruthless gangsters.
The movie does not show the reason why the local gangsters kidnapped Apurva but gives several subtle hints in different scenes to portray their merciless and unsympathetic behaviour. The star cast gives splendid performances as they blur the lines between an actor and their characters with their convincing execution. As a viewer, you will root for Tara and Dhairya’s characters but will loathe Abhishek Banerjee and Rajpal Yadav’s characters because they are so compelling in their respective roles.
What does not work:
To show the flashbacks and establish Apurva and Siddharth’s love story, the song ‘Diwali’ by Vishal Mishra plays. Although the song is beautiful, it breaks attention from the main plot and the serious tone set by the film. All the actors have delivered brilliant performances but the police officer’s character looks like a mere caricature with no sense of duty and responsibility.
Performances:
‘Apurva’ is indeed Tara Sutaria’s show as she portrays her versatility in her performance with brilliance. She is first seen as a pure and naive young woman filled with joy and immediately transitions into a girl dealing with a traumatic situation. Tara flawlessly embodies Apurva’s fight and struggle for survival and gradually changes into a courageous woman towards the end. Dhairya plays the role of Apurva’s fiance Siddharth and impeccably portrays his helplessness when Apurva gets kindnapped.
Abhishek Banerjee is seen as a merciless gangster in ‘Apurva’ and the viewers will love to hate his character because he is so convincing in the ruthless role. Rajpal Yadav also takes on the role of an unsympathetic and vicious gangster, who will not think twice before killing someone. He once again proves his acting range as the viewers will forget that Rajpal Yadav is best known for his comedic roles.
