‘Apurva’ On Disney+ Hotstar Movie Review: Tara Sutaria, Abhishek Banerjee, Rajpal Yadav’s Hard-Hitting Performances Salvage A Predictable Plot

Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Cast: Tara Sutaria, Dhairya Karwa, Abhishek Banerjee, Rajpal Yadav, Sumit Gulati, Aaditya Gupta

Available On: Disney+ Hotstar

Duration: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

‘Apurva’: Story

‘Apurva’ is the story of an ordinary woman (Tara Sutaria) who faces extraordinary circumstances after getting kidnapped on the highway, and will do anything to survive. Will she be able to save herself? Or will she get gang raped? Will she be able to bring justice to the perpetrators? Or will she face an eventual and brutal death? Well, to know all that, you’ll have to watch ‘Apurva’ to find out.

‘Apurva’: Performances

Tara Sutaria gives the performance of her life. She tries to break the cutesy girl-next-door image that she has built over the years. She is still the damsel in distress, but here she is not the good-looking girl trying to just call out sheep. On the contrary, she takes the bull by the horns and uses her skilful mind to save herself. The hard-hitting performance proves that she is not just a pretty face and she can also be entrusted with challenging characters.

Abhishek Banerjee, as usual, comes up with another memorable performance. He takes cues from Amitabh Bachchan’s angry young man character from the 1970s-80s. The body language that he adopts sends shivers down your spine. The way he laced the character with his crazy antics along with a short-tempered persona makes him come out really scary. That sinister feel that he gets onto the character’s face every time he is onscreen is mindblowing.

Rajpal Yadav gives a very measured and layered performance. Usually, whenever he plays a gangster or a don, he always cracks jokes or others make fun of his small stature. However, this time over, he has used his silent and resilient anger to such a high degree that you totally forget anything about his height. No one is cracking jokes on him, and his body language gives you the scare. You’re made to feel like what if such a no-nonsense character comes in front of you in real life, how would you actually deal with the situation? He brought out the rough and raw side of a gangster’s life really brilliantly onscreen.

Dhairya Karwa was an absolute waste. Even if his character wasn’t there throughout it wouldn’t have made any difference to the plot. His character could have easily been played by any junior artiste as there are barely any scenes of him. One entire scene of him with the police inspector investigating the kidnapping could have entirely been pegged with the girl’s father in the centre of it rather than the fiancé. You’re thinking that maybe there will be something good coming from his character in the climax, but when that too doesn’t happen you’re just cursing under your breath as to why the character was even there in the first place.

‘Apurva’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s writing is oh-so-predictable. The movie jumps right into the heart of the story right from the very first frame and if you’ve seen the trailer of the film, you’re assured at every instance that you know what’s going to happen next. There are no unforeseen twists or turns, not even in the climax, which could make you jump off your seat. The predictability kills the fun of the film.

Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s direction tries to salvage the situation from the predictable storyline. He manages to bring in elements of surprise, but after the very first time, you’re not shocked by that even. What’s interesting is that he has brought out some great performances from the lead cast. He hasn’t compromised on any performance and it seemed that the actors were visibly in pain when they’re actually shown getting hit. Getting that level of dedication out of your actors is also a commendable job.

The cinematography by Anshuman Mahaley didn’t explore the entire canvas of the outdoor locales to the best of their capabilities. The vast open lands of rural India could have been captured a lot better with the usage of overhead drone shots. Hardly do you see drone shots scavenging the entire location of the film!?Also, when you’re trying to make the presentation gripping and you have got the luxury of having a maze, sort of, locale where one person is hiding and the other is searching frantically, it would have made the narrative even more thrilling if you had used overheard drone shots and some fast-moving trolley shots. Those things were hardly used in the shoot.

Shivkumar V. Panicker’s editing is crisp and to the point. The film starts and the very next instant you’re thrown right into the centre of the hustle and bustle. There is barely any beating around the bush. To give some context, flashback sequences are there, but that too aren’t too long so as to bore you or take you far away from the main plot for long. They’re short, and they throw you back to the main story without leaving you feeling morose.

Vishal Mishra’s music is a highlight of the film. The two songs ‘Diwali’ and ‘Hai Khuda’ are keepers. Mishra’s deep baritone gives you a haunting feel that stays with you for a long time. Also, the background score by Ketan Sodha is good enough to transport you to the crux of the story.

‘Apurva’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

‘Apurva’ is predictable from the very instant you see the trailer of the film, and there’s no two ways about it. However, it’s the performances of the lead cast that make the story worth your time. The way they’ve performed the characters makes the film look so hard-hitting and raw from the outset. The writer-director tries to tell a tale that’s quite relatable, but he isn’t able to bring any iota of twists and surprises that would keep you on the edge of your seat. That was quite disappointing considering it’s supposed to be a gripping thriller. Overall, it’s an Average Watch. I am going with 2.5 stars, and that too wholly for the performances of the actors.