Apurva (2023) Review!!

Synopsis – Apurva showcase the story of a girl who survives a dangerous night, using her wits and strength in this high-stakes game of life and death.

My Take – A narrative revolving around a simplistic girl who finds herself at the wrong time and place, and how she is forced to survive a dreadful time period surviving and doing whatever is necessary, including bloodshed, against the ones hunting her, sounds like something we have seen umpteen times before.

Essentially that is what makes up for the core plot of this latest survival drama from writer-director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat (Brij Mohan Amar Rahe, Hurdang), which is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Though the film initially seemed similar in theme to the Anushka Sharma starrer NH10 (2015), but without any of the latter’s complexities it manages to tap its potential only partly, just about enough to make the viewing experience passably watchable.

Unfolding as a partially gripping thriller, chronicling the confrontation between a group of ruthless villains and a heroine molded by resilience and survival instincts, the film’s relatively short running time means there is no buildup of tension or the unfolding of our lead’s emotions, from desperation turning to rage and then fearlessness.

Yes, it will keep you rooting for her, but director Bhat opts for a very predictable approach that lacks enough thrills. Having said that, the main reason the film deserves a watch is Tara Sutaria‘s career-defining performance, who manages to prove that she is more than just a gorgeous face and a pretty love interest to the leading man, otherwise the survival thriller does not have anything fresh to offer.

Set in Chambal, the story follows Apurva Kashyap (Tara Sutaria), a young woman, who in order to surprise her fiancé Siddharth (Dhairya Karwa) on his birthday, embarks on a journey from Gwalior to Agra via a bus. Unluckily for her, in the middle of the travel, the bus gets stopped by a bandits for hire gang that includes the gruff Jugnu (Rajpal Yadav), nasty Sukha (Abhishek Banerjee), the nastier Balli (Sumit Gulati), and the vicious juvenile Chhota (Aaditya Gupta), who follow up on tips to loot vehicles on lonely roads, but end up attacking the bus driver as he does not give their car right of way.

Though they immediately rob the passengers, Sukha’s attention turns towards Apurva when he picks up her phone only to receive threats from Siddharth, turning the whole situation into a kidnapping, with the idea of raping her and then finishing her off eventually. What follows is her quest to be able to escape and survive the horrors that await.

This one is a no-nonsense thriller as director Nikhil Nagesh Bhatt wastes no time to set up his story and get the proceedings rolling. In the first 10-minute narrative, we are introduced to the negative forces of the film and how dreadful they are, followed by the narrative of how a small incident can have a big impact on the life of a simplistic girl.

Here, the intrigue is more significant because Apurva is a girl next door. Seeing her turn into a ferocious and ruthless person from a sweet and simple girl is a compelling transformation. Seeing her struggles and continued ways to escape, followed by her decisions towards the end, you are rooting for her not because it’s a given but because it is organic.

Even, the gang at least in the film’s first act, comes across scarier – they aren’t bound by the fictional confines of a particular setting, and we know such people do exist. They have no redemption arc whatsoever, and it is a good call to do that because it helps you root for Apurva even more.

Props to the makers for keeping the setting of the film as rustic as it can be. Almost the entire film, except the flashback sequences, is shot outdoors and in a place that is an open area of nothingness but still claustrophobic.

However, the plot weakens as the narrative opts for a predictable route, eroding the necessary tension in these crucial segments. Though the sequence within the empty train track felt nauseous, the film stops itself from getting us into more discomfort. Amidst a film that conveys a journey spanning less than 24 hours apart from a few flashbacks, there is little to no room for character development, and the victims of that here is the supporting cast and mainly actor Dhairya Karwa, who plays the love interest.

Even the climax could have been a little better, especially with regard to the death of a particular character. While the background score is decent, there was a scope in it to build more tension. The dynamic of Siddharth and the cops is also under cooked and a certain instance requires big suspension of disbelief.

However, what holds the film together is Tara Sutaria, who is incredible throughout. Though she showed immense promise in her debut Student of the Year 2 (2019) and her follow-ups Marjaavaan (2019) and Tadap (2021), her thankless roles in Heropanti 2 (2022) and Ek Villain Returns (2022), put quite a dent in her reputation. But here, she is excellent in the dramatic and emotional sequences, and does well in the thrills too.

Rajpal Yadav surprises with his menacing act, Abhishek Banerjee is brilliant as always, while Sumit Gulati and Aaditya Gupta are equally menacing. Dhairya Karwa does his part justifiably. You feel his helplessness too and root for him when he takes matter in his own hands. Sadly, the script just feels incomplete for his part in some way. On the whole, ‘Apurva’ is a passable survival thriller bolstered by Tara Sutaria’s performance.