The premise of Pranay Meshram’s survival thriller Akelli has most of the ingredients to keep one hooked but it falls short at many levels. Despite a commendable turn from Nushrratt Bharuccha, this is more of a missed opportunity.
At the centre of Akelli is Jyoti, played by Nushrratt, who’s alone in a foreign country where a civil war is raging on and the film is about her journey to keep herself safe and get back home.
Following the sudden death of her brother and sister-in-law, Jyoti becomes the sole provider for her family comprising her mother and young niece. With the added burden of a family debt, Jyoti takes up a job in Mosul, Iraq, despite its volatile political atmosphere and dangerous living conditions.
Things go worse when some militants take over her workplace in Mosul and abduct a group of women including Jyoti. The film quickly shifts gears into a thriller with Jyoti planning to resist and escape her captors.
The film uses the usual tropes of a survival thriller without offering any surprises or twists, significantly lowering the suspense quotient. There’s a struggle to maintain a consistent pace as the story alternates between slow and rushed sequences, disturbing the overall flow.
Moments that could have been nail-biting never reach that momentum because of proper buildup. Although Jyoti’s quick wit and resilience make her a character you would want to invest in, the convenient twists continuously place her in advantageous situations. And Akelli becomes so focused on showcasing Jyoti’s resourcefulness and bravery by downplaying the intelligence of the supposedly dreaded terrorists, who always end up with egg on their face, that you soon lose interest.
As Jyoti, Nushrratt is undoubtedly the highlight of Akelli. She embraces her character with conviction, displaying vulnerability and determination. The antagonists, played by Tsahi Halevi and Amir Boutrous, have no character arcs. Only Nishant Dahiya manages to leave an impression as a compassionate man, though the subplot of romance involving him feels abruptly inserted.
