Keeps you hooked.
Apurva (Hindi)
- Cast: Tara Sutaria, Abhishek Banerjee, Rajpal Yadav, and Dhairya Karwa
- Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
- Producer: Murad Khetani
- Music: Vishal Mishra
- Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
- OTT platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Apurva is based on an extraordinary real-life story of a girl named Apurva who was kidnapped by some goons in the Chambal area.
With no substantial help, Apurva fought them all alone and emerged as a victor.
The film begins by establishing the extreme cruelty of the four bad guys.
The main antagonists among these are Abhishek Banerjee and Rajpal Yadav. From there, we see how Apurva’s (Tara Sutaria) path crosses with these four local dacoits.
Excellent characterisation
To put it briefly, the story of Apurva is about how a city girl transforms herself into goddess Durga and kills the bad guys, of course, not literally.
The big area where Apurva scores is the gritty atmosphere that pulls the viewers into the story.
Despite tonal similarities with NH10 (2015), director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and his technical team stage the Chambal area with authenticity. There is no artificiality whatsoever.
What also works for the film is a sense of dread that the director creates among the viewers with the help of the background score.
The characterisations of the dacoits are another major plus for the film.
Abhishek Banerjee and Co are truly scary as psychopaths. As a result, the viewers anxiously wait for Tara Sutaria’s Apurva to come out safe.
The characterisation of Apurva from a city girl to finding herself in a life-threatening situation has been written well. Her love story with Sid (Dhairya Karwa) gives some much-needed light moments. Both actors share good chemistry.
A brilliant Tara Sutaria
Tara Sutaria debuted with the sequel of Student of The Year 2 in 2019. Since then, she faltered in the selection of roles.
But here, the actress has an author-backed part, and Tara delivers a commendable performance. It is a juicy role with different shades, and Tara doesn’t miss a single beat.
Dhairya Karwa also does well as the supportive fiancée. He succeeds in portraying the love and desperation of Sid.
Coming to the local dacoits, Rajpal Yadav and Abhishek Banerjee successfully make the audiences hate them, particularly Abhishek, who plays an unhinged man with a lot of glee.
The major problem with Apurva is the excessive bloodshed and cuss words that won’t go down well with all. The serious hangover of NH10 also acts as a deterrent in some parts.
The police characters feel cardboard, more like an add-on, and don’t serve any purpose.
Same case with Apurva’s parents. They are hardly there.
Final take
To sum it up, watch Apurva if you are a fan of gritty dramas and real-life stories.