‘Aasha’ movie review: Urvashi’s intense act stands out in a mystery that fizzles out after initial promise

At times, one or two sequences are all it takes to turn an otherwise unremarkable movie into a worthwhile experience. A memorable shot or a standout performance can almost make one forget the rest of its failings. The scene involving Urvashi’s titular character and a doctor in Safar Sanal’s Aasha could have become a run-of-the-mill emotional sequence of a mother realising that something dreadful might have happened to her daughter.

But Urvashi lends an uncommon depth to the scene, with a performance that is not just a portrayal of a mother’s anguish over the immediate event, but also her own already frayed mental state. The way she lets stuttered words escape her lips, the voice modulation she employs, or even the way she fails to steadily hold a pen to sign a document, all come together to paint a picture of the ocean of worry within her.