Long Live Brij Mohan alum Nikhil Nagesh Bhat is back again with another nerve-wracking thriller, Apurva. From what I have gathered from his films, Nikhil Nagesh likes to do things in a peculiar way. People often cite his way of picking up a very basic plot and turning it into a harrowing story that one won’t be able to put down. It would be a crime to call his movies basic, even though they play with the same run-of-the-mill, tried-and-tested themes of deceit, love, betrayal, crime, and violence. But the way he changes it into an exciting film is a secret sauce that he isn’t keen on sharing. In layman’s terms, Nagesh’s latest work, Apurva, is a crime-thriller gone right.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Are Bali And Jugnu?
The film introduced the audience to Sukha (Abhishek Banerjee), Bali, Jugnu (Rajpal Naurang Yadav), and Chote. They were local criminals in the business of robbing people who were taking the highway. They robbed people of their belongings and later killed them for mainly three reasons: either to have no witnesses to their crime, for fun or to teach their new members how it was done. The movie begins with Sukha and his men killing and robbing a couple of men who were traveling the road in their red SUV. They didn’t know that this was going to be their last ride. Sukha and his men were in bed with local politicians, who, in exchange for a decent cut, kept the police out of their affairs. Also, for tips and news about their next target, Sukha and co. depended on Tiwari, a local man, with friends in high places.
Sukha and his friends were following one of Tiwari’s tips. They were to rob a truck carrying millions, but their plan took a detour when a bus driver refused to pass. Moreover, the driver even called them names, something Jugnu didn’t appreciate. He pulled out his beloved Mauser and killed the man on the spot. He didn’t care about the dozens of people watching him do his deed. Apurva (Tara Sutaria) was inside the bus and was traveling to Agra to surprise her fiance, Siddhartha (Dhairya Karwa), on his birthday. Apurva and Siddhartha were engaged and were going to be husband and wife soon. Siddhartha worked in a bank while his soon-to-be wife was still attending university. Sukha kidnapped Apurva and challenged her fiance to see if he had the heart to save her. She begged Sukha to leave her alone, but he was drowning in power and believed no one would touch him. Apurva realized that if she didn’t do anything, Sukha and his men were going to violate her and kill her.
How Did Apurva Escape?
Sukha and his men brought Apurva to a junkyard with the intention of raping her. While they were sipping beers and planning their next move, Apurva found a window of opportunity and escaped with another captive. However, Chote, one of the criminals, noticed her fleeing. He tried to recapture Apurva, but she smashed his face with an iron bucket. This was new for Sukha and his crew, as no one had ever escaped from their grasp. Apurva knew that sooner or later, Bali and his men would catch up to her and kill her. The group found the other captive and beat him relentlessly. They were under the impression that he had killed Chote, but actually, Apurva had killed him to save herself. Apurva found a phone in the dead man’s pocket and took it to call for help. Unfortunately, Sukha and his men took notice and realized that Apurva was close. Apurva contacted Siddhartha and told him that she was in some village and was being pursued by a couple of men. Siddharta relayed the same to the police officers and begged them to dispatch the force immediately. However, the cops were less than interested in his predicament. They shamelessly told Siddhartha to wait till morning. It would be dangerous to attack this house, they said.
How Did Apurva Kill Jugnu And Sukha?
Apurva knew that Sukha and his men knew this area as if it were the backs of their hands. Thus, there were very few places where she could hide. Apurva found an abandoned well in the village, and for a while, it became a safe haven for her. Apurva hid in the well for hours. She figured that she could easily escape once the sun had gone down. Apurva left the well but was found by Bali. He coerced Apurva to undress herself, but she retaliated and cut him with a knife. Even though Sukha had been with the group for years, he hardly cared about anyone. This was clear when he refused to take Bali to the hospital while he bled in front of him. Moreover, he often disrespected Jugnu, who was older than him. For him, the most important thing was to find Apurva, not rob the truck or save Bali. Now Sukha didn’t want to kill Apurva; rather, he wanted to wed her so he could rape her whenever he pleased.
Sukha and Jugnu planned to lure Apurva into revealing herself. They made it look like they were leaving to take Bali to the hospital so Apurva would think that she was safe and would come out. Apurva fell for their ruse, but she, too, had some cards left to play. While she was being chased, Apurva tricked Jugnu into tripping into the well. She then hit him with a stone until he drowned. But what about Sukha? After Jugnu died, all that was left was Sukha. Apurva tried running him over with his own car, but he survived. She then led him into a tunnel, where Sukha was run over by a train. Sukha still had some life left in him. Sukha begged Apurva to spare him, but it proved ineffective. Like Jugnu, Apurva crushed his head with whatever she could find. As the movie drew to a close, we saw Apurva making her way to a railway signaling post. Therein, she borrowed a phone to let Sid know that she was okay.
Bali, Sukha, Jugnu, and Chote were under the impression that they were immune to the law just because they had some connections. In reality, they were nothing but psychotic criminals who got excited by seeing other people suffer. Chote looked like he was just a teenager, but he was the most violent of them all. Hanging out with Sukha and others gave him all sorts of wrong ideas. He felt he could kill or rob anyone, and no one would even point a finger at him. Sukha, Bali, and Jugnu were no different. They all saw Apurva as a commodity and paid the price when she retaliated.
