Akhanda movie review – Balayya – Boyapati’s Mass Jaathara

Movie: Akhanda
Director: Boyapati Srinu
Producer: Miryala Ravinder Reddy
Music Director: Thaman S
Starring: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pragya Jaiswal, Jagapathi Babu and others
Release Date: 2nd December 2021
Rating: 3/5

Nandamuri Balakrishna and Boyapati Srinu’s combination is nothing but gold. Their previous collaborations Simha and Legend are huge blockbusters and the expectations are huge for Akhanda as well. With Tollywood eagerly waiting for the result of Akhanda with COVID fears among the audiences, let us see how the movie will be.

Story:

Murali Krishna (Balakrishna) is a righteous man who strives for the welfare of others. While he is like a demi-god for the needy, he becomes violent to protect his people. Sarwani (Pragya Jaiswal) the newly appointed collector first misunderstands Murali Krishna but later falls for him.

Murali Krishna marries Sarwani and they even had a child. While everything seems to be going well, actually everything falls apart for him and his family. They are in extreme danger. Murali Krishna couldn’t do anything to save them, his hands are tied.

While at the brink of grave danger, Akhanda (Balakrishna) arrives and saves his family. Who is Akhanda? How is he connected to Murali Krishna? Why does his family fall in trouble and who is Varadarajulu (Srikanth) and what is his motive?

Performances:

We can see a different Balakrishna in Boyapati movies. He is extremely charged up. He looks good, he mouths powerful dialogues non-stop, he dances like a dream. Akhanda is no different in these aspects. The film will be a treat for Balayya’s fans. He has given a power-packed performance. The film actually picks the pace with Akhanda’s arrival. Then there is no looking back for Balayya and the movie too.

Pragya Jaiswal looks good. She has done it neatly. Poorna is okay. We expect more from the Varadarajulu character but it goes subdued. Others have done as required.

Technicalities:

Akhanda’s story is beaten to death mass story. However, the ‘agora’ angle gives new scope to explore it one more time. Boyapati Srinu goes into his own comfort zone. As always, he leaves logic and villains to air and concentrates on Balayya’s agora character alone. In fact, this character itself is enough to make Balayya fans go frenzy. However, with strong opposition and some more logic induced into it, the film would have done wonders. Nevertheless, Akhanda is a mass treat for Balayya fans.

Action sequences need special mention as for every 10-15 minutes, there is a new action block. Some of the fights have been designed pretty well. The dialogues are long and powerful. Camera work and editing are OK.

SS Thaman’s Akhanda title song and Jai Balayya are good to hear. His background score is top-notch. One will enjoy it for sure.

Analysis:

Boyapati hasn’t changed, that’s the good part and that’s the disappointing part as well. His routine mass masala movies are becoming more monotonous and yet they impress somehow. Keeping aside Balayya’s agora character, there is nothing to be said about the movie and again as said earlier, that character and Balayya’s powerful performance is enough for the film to work.