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Akhanda Movie Review: A run-of-the-mill mass action film animated by a godly vigilante
The biggest undoing of the film, which is director Boyapati Srinu's third and most ambitious outing with Nandamuri Balakrishna, is palpable in the run-of-the-mill writing of the bad side.
Cast: Balakrishna, Srikanth and others
Director: Boyapati Srinu
Run-Time: 167 minutes
Rating: 2.5
In 'Akhanda', the hero is a godly vigilante, not just a vigilante. The villain, however, is just another cruel antagonist, not a memorable character. The biggest undoing of the film, which is director Boyapati Srinu's third and most ambitious outing with Nandamuri Balakrishna, is palpable in the run-of-the-mill writing of the bad side. Varadarajulu (Srikanth) is a degenerate foe whose days look numbered right from the word go. In some mass action entertainers, the villain seems to overdo everything just so that his ruination can be expedited.
The story is staged in an unimaginative fashion. It's Anantapur and Murali Krishna (Balakrishna) is reforming someone or the other every other day. He loves Nature and so, helpfully, a bad fellow who is destined to be reformed by him conveniently cuts down trees. When a Union Cabinet Minister is not showing his gratitude to him and a beautiful IAS officer (Pragya Jaiswal) is not mooning over him, our hero is with his doting family, whose many members live, breathe, eat, walk, and emote in uncharacteristic unison.
Amidst impossible fights (which are too many, by the way) and a couple of songs (which are too few for a 167-minute-long marathon), the small players are reduced to giving reaction shots. Meanwhile, the merciless mining player Varadarajulu (Srikanth is no Jagapathi Babu when it comes to moving his facial muscles as if there is no tomorrow) is plotting his next carnage. When the going gets tough, Akhanda (Balakrishna, again) storms into the scene and tirelessly eliminates dozens of godless men, one loud monologue at a time.
From mass murders to an NIA investigation, from an evil godman who knows of reverse boring to a divine saviour who doesn't harm even an insect without a reason, from a serial philanthropist to a serial genocider, the script of 'Akhanda' is potentially layered and actually bloated. The film looks monolithic, one-note and even mediocre at times. Scratch the surface and you will know that it is a typical action story with two heroes and a spiritual spin to boot.
M Ratnam's blistering punchlines land, at least occasionally. Our mass films should avoid infusing English-language lines (read 'Clean minds create a great future') that read like bland WA forwards. 'Kalakeya' Prabhakar as a lecherous cop plays his umpteenth cardboard character.
Balakrishna's performance is superlative in the second half. He doesn't get to do those saturated songs, thankfully so. Thaman's background score is thoughtful; he is one technician who upgrades the fights (animated by seasoned masters like Ram and Lakshman) like a master. C Ram Prasad and AS Prakash, respectively, uplift the film with their cinematography and production design.
