Akhanda movie review: a mundane mass action movie animated by a godly vigilante

In ‘Akhanda’, the hero is a pious vigilante, not just a vigilante. The villain, however, is just another cruel antagonist, not a memorable character. The film’s biggest defeat, which is director Boyapati Srinu’s third and most ambitious outing starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, is palpable in the mundane writing on the wrong side. Varadarajulu (Srikanth) is a degenerate foe whose days seem numbered from the start. In some mass action artists, the villain seems to be exaggerating just so that his ruin can be hastened.

The story is staged in an unimaginative way. It is Anantapur and Murali Krishna (Balakrishna) reforms someone or the other every other day. He loves nature and thus, usefully, a villain who is destined to be reformed by him conveniently cuts down trees. When a Union Cabinet Minister does not show him his gratitude and a handsome IAS officer (Pragya Jaiswal) does not look at him, our hero is with his beloved family, many of whom live, breathe , eat, walk and become blunt in unusual ways. unison.

In the midst of impossible fights (of which there are too many) and a few songs (which are too few for a 167-minute marathon), the little players are reduced to giving reaction shots. Meanwhile, the ruthless mining player Varadarajulu (Srikanth isn’t Jagapathi Babu when it comes to moving his facial muscles like there’s no tomorrow) prepares his next carnage. When the going gets tough, Akhanda (Balakrishna, again) steps in and tirelessly eliminates dozens of ungodly men, one strong monologue at a time.

From mass murders to an NIA investigation, from an evil god who knows boredom inside out to a divine savior who doesn’t even hurt a bug for no reason, from a serial philanthropist to a serial genocidor , the storyline of “Akhanda” is potentially layered and in fact bloated. The film looks monolithic, single-note, and even mediocre at times. Scratch the surface and you’ll know it’s a typical action story with two heroes and a spiritual twist to boot.

Mr. Ratnam’s searing punchlines land, at least occasionally. Our mass movies should avoid infusing English lines (read “Clean Minds Create A Great Future”) that read like WA forward. Lustful cop ‘Kalakeya’ Prabhakar plays his umpteenth cardboard character.

Balakrishna’s performance was superlative in the second half. Luckily, he can’t seem to do these saturated songs. Thaman’s background score is reflective; he is a technician who improves fights (led by seasoned masters like Ram and Lakshman) like a master. C Ram Prasad and AS Prakash, respectively, elevate the film with their cinematography and production design.