Apurva movie review: Tara Sutaria headlines a predictable tale of brutality and bravery

The flashbacks about Apurva’s life and her engagement with Sid (Dhairya Karwa) are meant to help in building their characters and love story, apart from giving some breather to the viewers from the violence. There are some interesting moments featuring both, especially when Apurva and her parents visit Sid’s home to meet him before deciding on the arranged match. Though the two exude sweetness on screen, sparks don’t fly. That affects the emotional connection one could have established with them, especially the titular protagonist.

The cat-and-mouse chase between Apurva and her captors shifts to a deserted village with vacant houses. The setting adds to the atmosphere as Apurva tries to survive her nightmarish ordeal and escape. There are several gripping and tense moments with the threat of assault constantly looming large. But it does not help that the storyline is mostly predictable.

The four gangsters in the film are meant to be distinct in terms of their age, personality and background. But the script does not pay attention to details or work on developing these pitiless male characters who find pleasure in making a woman suffer and see her only as an object of their lust. The film does refer to countless incidents where men gleefully record incidents of sexual abuse on their phone cameras. Yet, it falls short of an impactful comment on social conditioning, misogynistic mindset or warped masculinity. That makes the characters played by Banerjee and Rajpal Yadav appear cardboard-like.

Tara Sutaria is expected to do the heavy-lifting and carry the film on her shoulders. She is good in certain action sequences that often involve sprinting around in a pink flowing chikankari kurta-pyjama or heavy breathing. But she fails to meet the demands of intense emotional scenes.

In terms of its subject and storytelling, the film comes close to NH10 which had Anushka Sharma’s character witnessing honour killings; struggling to save her husband and herself; and in the end taking revenge. Apurva, however, lacks the layers and nuances that NH10 (2015) has. As a result, it is shocking in parts but not thought-provoking.

Apurva movie director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Apurva movie cast: Tara Sutaria, Abhishek Banerjee, Dhairya Karwa, and Rajpal Yadav
Apurva movie rating: 2 stars