Star Studios and Cine1 Studios’ Apurva is a thriller. Four rogues kidnap a girl with the intention of raping her.
Apurva (Tara Sutaria) is travelling in a public bus in Madhya Pradesh when suddenly four rogues — Jugnu (Rajpal Yadav), Sukkha (Abhishek Banerjee), Balli (Sumit Gulati) and Chhota (Aaditya Gupta) — have an altercation with the bus driver. In a fit of rage, Jugnu murders the bus driver and conductor. Following this, the four abduct Apurva and take her in their car with the aim of raping her. How Apurva escapes from their clutches forms the crux of the story.
Nikhil Nagesh Bhat has written a riveting story which keeps the audience hooked right from the word ‘go’. His screenplay is so well-written that it doesn’t give the viewers even a second to think. Rather, the audience fear so much for Apurva that they are often apt to feel like sounding her about the lurking danger to her life while she is escaping. The latter part of the 90-minute drama is so tension-ridden that the viewers are often at the edge of their seats. The tension sometimes becomes so palpable that the audience fears that they will miss a heartbeat or two. Every victory of Apurva becomes the personal victory of the viewer as she keeps eliminating one danger after the other. Actually, the drama appears so real that the viewers become a part of it in no time and remain invested in it right till the end. Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s dialogues are realistic, further adding to the authenticity of the script.
Tara Sutaria does an outstanding job as Apurva. She performs so wonderfully that the audience’s sympathy goes out to her, with everyone willing to rescue the damsel in distress. Rajpal Yadav shines in a negative role as Jugnu. Abhishek Banerjee is outstanding as Sukkha. There are scenes in which he becomes detestable to the point that the viewer wants to kill him. Sumit Gulati, in the role of Balli, is as natural as natural can be. Aaditya Gupta is very good as Chhota. Dhairya Karwa stands his own in the role of Siddharth. Rakesh Chaturvedi Om makes his mark as astrologer Tara. Navni Parihar (as Apurva’s mother), Rajesh Jais (as Apurva’s father), Charan Trivedi (as Apurva’s uncle), Nilofer Gesawat (as Apurva’s aunt), Geeta Modi (as Siddharth’s mother), Vinod Sharma (as Siddharth’s father), Karan Chibber (as Siddharth’s elder brother), Ashish Dubey (as Rajiv), Gaurav (as Sunil), Pankaj Upadhyay (as Tiwari), Madhvendra Jha (as police inspector Manohar Singh), Gagan Bhasin (as the sub-inspector), and the rest of the artistes provide the necessary support.
Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s direction is lovely. He has made a film which sucks the audience in completely. The narration is so crisp that the viewers don’t get time to even blink their eyes. Vishal Mishra’s music is functional. Lyrics (by Vishal Mishra and Kaushal Kishore) are okay. Brinda Parameshwar’s choreography is alright. Ketan Sodha’s background music is excellent and it serves to heighten the tension for the audience. Anshuman Mahaley’s cinematography is first-rate. Salaam Ansari’s action and stunts are very thrilling and realistic. Kristel Dias’ production designing and Abhay Kumar Dubey’s art direction are appropriate. Shivkumar Panicker’s editing is super-sharp.
On the whole, Apurva makes for very interesting viewing and will be loved for its crispness and its tension.
Released on 15-11-’23 on Disney+ Hotstar.
