Akhanda Movie Review: Strictly for Balakrishna’s fans
Assessment: After Legend and Simha, director Boyapati Srinu and actor Balakrishna staff up for his or her third movie – a mass masala entertainer that depends solely on the lead’s star energy. An excellent story-line is watered down as a consequence of a miscalculated screenplay and everybody takes a backseat for NBK (together with one in every of his characters). The tip consequence may make the star’s followers scream ‘Jai Balayya’ nearly endlessly however one can’t deny that Boyapati fails to tug off what he guarantees.
Murali Krishna (Balakrishna) is a individuals’s man within the faction-ridden Anantapur. He’s a farmer who makes use of his earnings to construct hospitals, throw a punch when wanted but in addition reform factionists to take care of nature and quit violence. His character is sort of a nod to the brand new course Balakrishna is prepared to take together with his roles. District Collector Saranya (Pragya Jaiswal) is unafraid to carry corrupt cops accountable and dig deep into misdoings in her district with the assistance of Principal Secretary of Surroundings, Forest, and Local weather Change, Padmavati (Poorna). And whereas sufficient time is spent on how Saranya falls for Murali they usually each construct a life collectively (after some bizarre flirting that takes place over seat belts, taati kallu and telugu tanam), this isn’t their story.
That is the story of Murali’s long-lost twin Akhanda (Balakrishna as an aghora/baba) who’s taken away from his household by a Baba (Jagapathi Babu) as a result of he has a future to fulfil. It’s believed he’s born to proper the wrongs of Gajendra Sahu, a ruthless man who takes over an ashram and pretends he’s a saint to cowl up his crimes. Additionally on this story is Varada Rajulu (Srikanth), one other ruthless man who takes up unlawful uranium mining in Nallamala below the guise of copper mining. When individuals whose lives Murali vowed to guard are misplaced and Saranya has to combat to save lots of what’s left of her household, Akhanda heads on a war-path to save lots of the day.
Whereas the essential premise of Akhanda is attention-grabbing, particularly the best way Boyapati units it up by weaving a legendary story with mass moments in a means solely he can, he quickly loses the plot (actually) and will get carried away with giving Akhanda and Murali mass moments which are certain to elicit whistles however don’t do something for the story. He additionally takes a detour to wax eloquent on every part from nature to the significance of God and temples to how ladies (like nature) are supposed to be protected not ravaged. The irony is misplaced on nobody when the movie indulges in double entrendre dialogues, introduction scenes that contain vonis flying and girls/ladies getting used as collaterals of conflict. None of this provides to the story both. From the minute Akhanda enters the body, every part and everybody takes a backseat, together with Murali. Saranya and Padmavati are become damsels-in-distress, Murali is misplaced in his personal guilt and grief, and even the supposedly highly effective Gajendra and Varada maintain no footing now as a result of Akhanda has the hand of Shiva himself defending him. Nay, he’s even believed to be God himself.
Balakrishna will get the prospect to shine as a result of he fills nearly each body of the movie both as Murali or Akhanda. He will get to bop and bask in dialogue-baazi when he’s not exhibiting off his cool new avatar in slow-motion pictures that target his faux tattoos and piercing eyes. And whereas that’s initially sufficient to provide you a rush, it quickly will get exhausting because the movie progresses. Pragya may get an introduction (nearly) on par with the hero however she’s misplaced to the proceedings, regardless of her giving the character her all. Poorna, Srikanth, Jagapathi Babu, Kalakeya Prabhakar, Subbaraju and others have one-tone characters that they breeze via.
Other than the mass moments and fights (by Ram-Laxman) which are enjoyable (however there are too lots of them), what works for the movie is Thaman’s BGM. His rating and Ram Prasad’s cinematography set the tone for the movie, even making the proceedings attention-grabbing when it’s clear Boyapati is filling runtime with nothing a lot to say. On the finish of all of it, the size of the movie (2-hours-47-minutes) would not appear justified for the story he desires to inform. You’re additionally left with the sensation that regardless of Balakrishna’s aghora character Akhanda taking on a lot time, Boyapati misses potential there to do extra with it.
Akhanda is the sort of entertainer that’ll work strictly for Balakrishna’s followers as a result of anybody seeking to simply kill time over a bathtub of popcorn may depart exhausted. Seeing as the way it has been lengthy since a star entertainer has hit the screens, time will inform if that is the movie that drives again individuals to the theatres.
