akhanda movie review in english

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'Akhanda' Review: Routine Roars In High Volume

Movie: Akhanda Rating: 2.5/5 Banner: Dwaraka Creations Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pragya Jaiswal, Srikanth, Jagapathi Babu, Poorna, Kalakeya Prabhakar, Subbaraju and others Dialogues: M Rathnam Music: Thaman DoP: C Ram Prasad Editor: Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao, Tammiraju Art: AS Prakash Producer: Miryala Ravinder Reddy Story, screenplay, and direction: Boyapati Sreenu Release Date: Dec 02, 2021

The combination of Nandamuri Balakrishna and director Boyapati Srinu is one of the most successful in the Telugu film industry. They have teamed up for the third time for this high intense action entertainer, Akhanda. Amidst much hype, the film hit theaters today. 

Has the duo delivered a hat-trick of success? Let’s find out.

Story: Muralikrishna (Balakrishna) is a good-natured man in Ananthapuram, who devotes his life to people and does a lot of development work in the region. 

Impressed by his character, the new collector Sarwani (Pragya Jaiswal) falls for him. They get married and are blessed with a girl.

Due to the local mining mafia leader Varadarajulu (Srikanth), Sarwani and Murali Krishna land in a trouble. When Sarwani and her daughter are chased by Varadarajulu’s men, she runs into a cave to hide. She is rescued by a Sadhu named Akhanda (Balakrishna). 

Who is Akhanda? What is the connection with Muralikrishna’s family?

Artistes’ Performances: Playing multiple roles is a cakewalk for Nandamuri Balakrishna. ‘Akhanda’ also shows two different shades of Balakrishna. He once again comes up with a riveting performance in the role of Akhanda. His getup is terrific. Some of his dialogues are powerful, others sounded routine. The entire second-half runs on Akhanda’s role.

Pragya Jaiswal is an IAS officer, but her character turns regular after a few scenes. She is hardly impressive. 

Srikanth, for the first time in his career, has played the villain’s role convincingly. Jagapathi Babu as a Sadhu leaves his mark. 

The actor who played the main villain is okay. So is Poorna.

Technical Excellence: M Ratnam has written dialogues that give mixed feelings. In Balakrishna's roaring voice, some sounded powerful. 

C Ram Prasad's camera work is top-notch. Thaman’s songs are not worth talking about, but the background score is a major strength. His high-decibel score has elevated many episodes in the second half. He has designed a special theme for the ‘Akhanda’ character. 

Major part of the film runs only on the action choreography. The fights look similar from beginning to the end. There is ample chance to design the fights in different styles and patterns. But that variety is not shown. 

On the other hand, the dance choreography is impressive and fresh. Some steps in Jai Balayya song are worth to become viral.

Highlights: Balakrishna as Akhanda Thaman’s background score Dialogues

Drawback: Passable first half Overdose of mass sequences Lengthy and tiring action stunts The logic goes for a toss Routine climax

Analysis After mass entertainers “Simha” and “Legend”, director Boyapati in his third teaming up with Balakrishna has written a story that touches upon issues like illegal mining, protection of the environment, Hindu Dharma, etc. The topics might be new in Boyapati’s film, but the treatment is familiar.

In fact, Boyapati has followed the template of the narrative he has shown in his previous works like “Legend”: the hero in a dual role, a character who does not appear in the first half comes right at the interval point and takes the charge. In ‘Legend’, it was the role of Jaidev, here it is ‘Akhanda’.

What is the other difference between “Legend” and “Akhanda”?

The former has a couple of killer songs like “Nee Kanti Choopulonaa” and “Legend He’s Legend”, an engaging romantic track with two heroines and a menacing villain played by Jagapathi Babu. The latest “Akhanda” lacks all these elements. 

There is a dialogue in the film: Once I decide on something, I meander like a bulldozer truck. True to the dialogue, director Boyapati Sreenu’s narrative goes on a rampage of one action scene after the other in the second half. The fights are lengthy and in a similar manner throughout. The pre-interval fight has a length of about 17 minutes.

Despite Balakrishna’s earnest and sincere effort to play an aging Sadhu, the film doesn’t escape the routine.

While Balakrishna tries playing to the gallery and appealing to his fans, the film is mostly unimaginative. The first character of Balayya doesn’t appear in the entire second half, except for a climax sequence

We never expect to see the logic in Boyapati’s movies. However, when we see the female protagonist as a collector, we expect her character to reflect some reality. What Pragya does as a collector is silly and unrealistic. Same goes for an NIA investigative officer.

In one of the fight sequences, Akhanda completes yagnam sitting calmly even with three axes stabbed in his back.

A few scenes, however, are exceptionally executed. Example: Akhanda – Poorna track, and Balakrishna explaining the true meaning of non-violence in Hinduism.

The film could have been gripping had the villain been strong. The face-off sequences between Balakrishna and Srikanth are tepid. Srikanth doesn’t have the menacing quality required for a villain. Nor is the main villain strong enough.

All in all, “Akhanda” is an out-and-out mass movie, which is embellished with some interesting moments here and there, but is largely formulaic and template of Boyapati’s movies. Dialogues and Balakrishna’s getup as Akhanda give goosebumps to his fans, but the lengthy fights, lack of entertaining moments, and disappointing climax make it a routine mass drama.  

Bottomline: Only for Balayya fanatics

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Akhanda Movie Review : Strictly for Balakrishna’s fans

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Deepak Hampal 593 days ago

Nice movie liked it.

rr 777 days ago

Akhanda with movie fantastic with download movie

Saivineeth Uppuluri 793 days ago

Great movie, showing power of God.

lavanyalaharikolusu 811 days ago

Super movie jai balayya

India 847 days ago

What... the most illogical movie

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Akhanda Review – Lengthy Mass Jathara

Lengthy Mass Jathara

OUR RATING 2.5/5

CENSOR 2h 47m, ‘U/A’ Certified.

An IAS officer Sravanya (Pragya Jaiswal), falls in love with Murali Krishna (Balakrishna). While this is happening, Varadarajulu (Srikanth) runs an illegal copper mines field. How do these two worlds collide and lead to the Aghora (Balakrishna)?

The movie’s basic plot is what happens when Aghora (Aghora) enters the situation and how he deals with massively powerful people and challenges thrown at him.

Performances

Nandamuri Balakrishna is terrific. He is the first and foremost reason anyone sticks to the entire narrative. It also helps him a great deal when a director who truly understands his strengths works with him. We get that with Boyapati Srinu, and together they give us the Aghora character. It looks terrific and presents Balakrishna in a never seen before avatar.

Even the other Balakrishna looks fine due to his slimmed body and powerful character. The styling has been done superbly. And regarding the all-important performance, well, it is Balakrishna; he gives his hundred percent no matter what. It is what elevates his typical act and takes it to the next level. The intensity can’t be missed, but Boyapati has failed to bring something fresh acting-wise to the table beside the getup change.

Director Boyapati Srinu is back with a new outing after Vinaya Vidheya Rama. It unites him with Nandamuri Balakrishna for the third time after Simha and Legend.

First of all, Boyapati Srinu seems to have learned his lesson from his last failure. He has kept the narrative clean, devoid of any confusion and also the story simple. Unfortunately, herein also is the problem for Akhanda. The ‘story’ is wafer-thin and depends heavily on the star and related action blocks to pull it off. So, while Boyapati has corrected one thing, he has erred on the other.

Right from the introduction, it is evident that Boyapati Srinu has worked hard on Balakrishna. The looks, styling and overall presence are appealing. The screen presence is greatly enhanced due to the effort. He makes sure the attention is squarely on Balakrishna and what he says rather than who (his character) he is?

Post the introduction, Akhanda falls into the familiar track seen countless times. The ‘entertainment has to work to make the narrative breezy, but that doesn’t happen. On the other hand, there is a creation of a powerful antagonist in Varadarajulu. The whole thing looks formulaic. However, the new setting salvages it to some extent.

The expected happens during the pre-interval block when the two worlds collide. Boyapati knows it all too well on how critical the situation is and fills it with heavy drama. The proceedings feel never-ending. What also adds to the feeling is the subconscious thinking of the entrance of the other Balakrishna.

And the expected happens during the interval block with the introduction of Balakrishna in Aghora get up. The first time impact and the thundering BGM nullify the prolonged pre-interval block. However, the actual content leads to a dejavu feeling (we have seen it all in Legend and done much better), which makes the whole thing passable, at best.

One hopes there is better content in store in the second half using the Aghora character. But what we get is more routine stuff involving him with some decent dialogues in between.

Every essential character seems to be built with the only intention to lead to a fight. It makes the narrative extremely formulaic. Still, the fights and drama related to the build-up could have saved things to some extent. Unfortunately, even that doesn’t happen. The dialogues are acceptable from the hero’s side, but they lack the meat when seen as part of the confrontation. The action blocks are overdone. Every fight feels like a climax. It makes one exhausted by the time one reaches the ‘actual climax’.

Overall, Akhanda is a below-par actioner that is mainly saved by Balakrishna’s histrionics. It majorly appeals to the hardcore action movie buffs who don’t mind lengthy action sequences but will get others tired. It makes Akhanda a strictly for fans affair and passable (at best) mass fare.

Pragya Jaiswal plays a glam doll character despite her profession being an IAS officer in the movie. She is adequate, and there is nothing much to complain about. Poorna is alright playing a supporting role that is (like a few others) designed to lead to a fight.

Srikanth is given a fabulous makeover. But, as a performer, he doesn’t take the whole thing to the next level. The same is the case with Jagapathi Babu; however, his voice modulation offers some change. Kalakeya Prabhakar is okay playing a cruel police officer, whereas Subbaraju doesn’t work due to a half-baked role. The rest of the cast are decent in their short screen time.

S Thaman provides the music for the film, which is alright. The songs have been shot well and look lovely to watch on screen. The background score is also satisfactory but is drowned in the loud making of Boyapati Srinu. The cinematography by Ram Prasad is decent. The editing could have been better, especially in the action scenes. The writing is decent. The dialogues at the start are fan-pleasing, and some in the Akhanda episode related to God are good.

Balakrishna

Parts Of Action

BGM, At Few Places

Routine Story

Weak Conflict/Drama

Alternative Take

A simple alternative take for Akhanda would be cutting down on a couple of action blocks and adding some solid confrontations and drama. It would have elevated the fights.

Did I Enjoy It?

Yes, In Parts

Will You Recommend It?

Yes, But With Huge Reservations

Akhanda Movie Review by Siddartha Toleti

FINAL REPORT:

Akhanda is a typical Boyapati Srinu mass drama. He has designed both Balakrishna characters well, and he does justice to them. The dialogues are crowd-pleasing as well as fans-pleasing.

The end result is Akhanda is an action-heavy movie that feels very lengthy. The routine storyline and back to back heavy-duty action scenes makes one exhausted by the time it is over.

— Akhanda show comes to an end. Final report and review coming shortly.

— Another heavy duty action block is going on before the wrap up.

— Murali Krishna (Balayya) comes back to the show in the climax fight while Akhanda (Balayya) sat on Shiva Yagna.

— Akhanda vs cruel mine owner Varadarajulu (Srikanth) action episode is loaded with mass dialogues and Balayya-Boya style mass action. The movie is heading to the climax.

— Akhanda second half started. The second Balakrishna takes over the show from here. Balayya explaining about the God and the science is well written.

FIRST HALF REPORT:

Boyapati presents Balakrishna like never before. His styling and makeover (Aghora getup) are terrific that would be appreciated beyond the fans. The two songs in the first half are decent, one being (Jai Balayya) very good.

The first half of Akhanda is very lengthy with a simple storyline. The interval block is too long and gives the impression of a climax. The second half holds the key now.

— After a long episode of Murali Krishna ( Balayya ) vs Varadarajulu (Srikanth) and some incidents in the Copper mine, the second Balakrishna’s character is introduced. Interval.

— Collector Sravanya (Pragya) falls for Murali Krishna (Balayya). It’s time for “Yah yah Jail Balayya”. The song has nice sets and neat choreography. Pragya makes it hot with her moderate skin show.

— Varadarajulu (Srikanth) enters the show as a villain. He owns and runs an illegal copper mine in the green zone against rules.

— Sravanya (Pragya Jaiswal) has been introduced as a powerful collector. She is impressed with Murali Krishna (Balayya)’s character.

— A heavy and mass overload intro for Balayya. The high voltage dialogues and slow mo shots will be a feast for fans.

— Akhanda show started with a police combing operation to catch Gajendra Sahu, a high valued and most wanted terrorist.

All set for the first #Akhanda U.S. premiere show. 🇺🇸 Stay tuned for the first report and review/rating. pic.twitter.com/bl5zBWK0SP — M9 NEWS (@M9News_) December 1, 2021

Akhanda U.S. Premiere live updates starting shortly. Stay tuned.

After a gap of over seven hundred days, the new Nandamuri Balakrishna film, Akhanda, is all set to hit the screens on December 2nd. For the unusually long wait for the fans, the star is making up with a movie that comes in the blockbuster combo. Yes, Akhanda marks the third collaboration of Balakrishna and Boyapati Srinu after Simha and Legend.

The gap between Ruler (2019) and Akhanda (2021) is the longest in the entire career of Balakrishna. The ‘gap’ itself was enough for fans to be stoked about the new film of Balakrishna, but the combo has taken it to the next level. There is tremendous hype on the movie.

Now add another factor to Akhanda that it is the first ‘mass biggie’ to come out after the second wave. There is an interest on a Balakrishna movie like never before. The BB3 (as the makers put it) is roaring at the box office.

A career-best opening for Nandamuri Balakrishna is assured with Akhanda . The bookings are excellent all over. If not for the issues with the ticket prices, it would have been much -much bigger. Akhanda now has the opportunity to be the biggest blockbuster in the career of NBK.

Boyapati Srinu saw the biggest setback in his career with his last outing. However, his combination with Balakrishna has been golden. He would be hoping to redeem himself with another blockbuster success, here.

The trailer has set the expectations high, and the open field is helping Akhanda get the widest release possible. S Thaman started the year with a bang, he would be hoping to do the same at the end.

M9News, as always, is here to give you a ‘first-on-net’ honest and genuine Akhanda review . Watch this space for our updates.

Akhanda review: Nandamuri Balakrishna film is an assault on the senses

Akhanda movie review: watching akhanda in the theatre feels like an exercise in sensory deprivation. the only difference is, instead of feeling relaxed and calm afterwards, you may feel your senses have been deprived for good..

Akhanda is a sensible and deeply thoughtful movie about how some unscrupulous men exploit people’s religious beliefs for petty gains. When the crimes of these men reach their peak, the universe conspires to bring an aghori from Kashi and the city-dwelling villain face-to-face, so the godman could defeat adharama (wickedness) and establish dharma (righteousness). No, wait. That’s the plot of Bala’s Naan Kadavul while Akhanda has been made by Boyapati Srinu. In that case, how can one possibly make the mistake of using adjectives such as “sensible” and “thoughtful” to describe a film by Boyapati Srinu?

I beg your forgiveness. I must have mixed up the movies as I am still unsettled by the onslaught on my senses. My eardrums are still throbbing after they were subjected to S Thaman’s incessant background score, which could outdo the screams and whistles in a packed movie theatre. Thaman has also seemingly taken ‘inspiration’ from AR Rahman’s iconic opening tune from Chandralekha song (Thiruda Thiruda), to provide a background score for the main villain. And no wonder that tune stood out amid the din of what passed as a score in the film.

During a rainy night, a woman gives birth to twins in what is nothing short of a cosmic event. A godman senses that one of the twins has a higher purpose, and gives him to a saint. The infant is then taken to Kashi and placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of a Shiva temple. And then, we cut to some years later — the number is never actually spelt out. That’s because we are in the world of Boyapati Srinu, where concepts such as time, causality, logic and common sense have no place. In the present day, we meet Murali Krishna (Nandamuri Balakrishna). He is a farmer and he’s on a mission to reform his village, where violence has become a way of life. He uses violence to end violence, applying the same logic as the USA on gun control — who can stop a bad man with a gun? A good man with a bigger gun.

Our good man, however, needs no gun or weapon to stop bad men. He can do just enough damage with his bare hands. He can even outsmart Neo from The Matrix when it comes to dodging bullets. If you think he’s beyond belief, wait till you meet his twin, Akhanda. No weapon has yet been invented by humans that could hurt him. Bullets can’t harm him, axes can’t kill him and even black magic can’t touch him. He is so powerful, no humans can ever defeat him. But, mere mortals don’t get the extent of his powers. They end up going against him, only to get smashed by his non-hulky hands.

While Boyapati talks about some real issues in the movie, like unchecked mining, irresponsible disposal of chemical waste, fake godmen, and meaninglessness of violence, it is all grandstanding. It may look like that the film is pro-progress and pro-rationality, but his characters’ actions are anything but. He has also irresponsibly used spirituality to provide a moral justification for his character, who keeps slaughtering people with impunity. It’s alright. You see, Akhanda is a good man with a lethal weapon.

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Akhanda Movie Review: A Feast Meant Only And Only For Fans

Director: Boyapati Sreenu Cast : Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pragya Jaiswal, Jagapathi Babu, Meka Srikanth, Shamna Kasim Language: Telugu

Some films prepare you for what to expect the minute you walk into a theatre. If you've followed the films actor Balakrishna and director Boyapati Sreenu have done together in the last decade you know the formula that they believe in.

Balakrishna essays two roles in the film. One is a do-gooder with super-human skills to bash people but just a little bit of vulnerability to shake his leg to fill the first half with songs and dance along with massy fights. There's a gruesome villain doing an illegal activity and is probably an extreme version of some real life political opponent of Balakrishna, the politician. Then, an interval fight sets up the entry of the second character, who is a super-super-super-human with a tragic backstory to justify the violence that's about to follow. The thrilling climax with fight sequences and punch dialogues aim to bring the roof down. Finally, everyone exits the theatre saying "Jai Ballayya."

Rather than being story-telling entities these films are supposed to be vehicles of adrenaline pumping energy through the dialogues and actions of its leading man. If you're a young male Balakrishna fan who feels safe to express themselves in a single screen theatre, these movies are dream stuff. It guarantees a better high than a cocktail of Redbull, black coffee and any other drug. Akhanda works even better if you want to thump your chest over Hindu myth and folklore. 

In this film, Balakrishna plays Murali Krishna and Akhanda. The first is the relatively (using the word loosely here) sensitive do-gooder in Anantapur district where he's settling disputes and arguing for peace while resorting to violence where needed. This part has meta baggage because Balakrishna is the MLA of Hindupur which is in Anantapur district. 

Srikanth plays Varadarajulu, the tormentor-in-chief, who's conducting illegal mining and ruining peoples lives and the environment. Like Jagapathi Babu, Srikanth is trying to reinvent himself by playing super-villainesque characters but it's hard to find freshness in his interpretation of these characters. Jagapathi Babu brought a certain mix of suaveness with local flavour last seen in Raghuvaran . Jagapathi Babu's voice helped the loudness required of these characters. But Srikanth struggles to get originality to these portions and seem more like a younger brother aping an elder brother. 

Pragya Jaiswal plays yet another part which confuses a highly qualified character (she's an IAS officer named Saranya) for an important one to the plot. But then again her purpose in this film is to dance well and sell her pairing with Balakrishna and cry bucket loads of tears when she's pushed into the path of trouble. She does a good enough job of that.

Balakrishna as Akhanda does the greatest amount of fan service that any star has done in a long time. He dances, gives hat tips to real life situations, utters dialogues that his fans want him to, brings energy to badly written scenes and tries his best to sell the fights. It's everything fans expect from him but it's not the actor who was seen in films such as Aditya 369 , Bhairava Dweepam , and Goutamiputra Satakarni (films of his that I personally like). They have shown us that he's capable of films that are relevant beyond his fans and seep into 'average' cinema audience. They age well and linger in the mind years after their initial viewing.

However, in this film, he delivers exactly what his fans want. He relishes the dialogues and shows how much fun playing to the gallery is. When hell almost breaks loose around the interval mark and it's time for Akhanda to enter, hell does break loose . But it is for the bad guys on screen and in the single screen theatres across the Telugu speaking states. People whistled, hooted, howled and threw bits of colored paper in the air. 

In the hands of Thaman, the music becomes the green chilli that some people eat along with food that's already spicy. It's not for everyone but those that do relish it enjoy it in a way others might not fully understand.

Boyapati Sreenu's earlier work is not something I've been particularly impressed by or enjoyed but it's rare to find an actor-director pair that knows exactly what they want and who they are catering to. That's admirable and a quality other storytellers and directors can imbibe.

If this review sounds a little muddled I think it's because I'm also confused. It wasn't my cup of tea but I couldn't not smile seeing those that enjoyed it doing their thing in the theatre. I found many problematic elements but this film doesn't care to be on that page because that would be like expecting a bulldozer to excel in miniature art.

Ultimately there's a simple litmus test for how you would react to Akhanda . I'm going to throw a phrase at you. You could repeat it sincerely with all your heart or you could utter it ironically with a goofy grin. I know which side I'm on.

Jai Ballayya.

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Akhanda movie review.

'Akhanda' was released today amid high expectations in hundreds of theatres in the Telugu States. In Overseas territories, the film has headed to theatres in 500 locations. What is the film about? Is it worth a watch? Let's find out.

Murali Krishna ( Nandamuri Balakrishna ) is a widely respected farmer-cum-reformer in Anantapur, Rayalaseema. Varadarajulu (Srikanth) is a ruthless mining baron working under the aegis of the presiding guru of a Peetham. When the villains endanger the lives of a whole village on the pretext of carrying out mining, Murali Krishna threatens them with dire consequences. But it is only Akhanda (Balakrishna, again) who can take on the might of the evil forces.

Performances

When it is Boyapati Srinu, Balakrishna knows what to deliver, how to do it and where to make it happen. 'Akhanda' proves that he becomes the 'Simha' of acting for a Boyapati movie. The Nata Simha is fabulous in the intense, gravity-defying action sequences.

Srikanth had to look terrifying besides delivering good acting. He is not perfect since it's a bit difficult to accept him in an out-and-out negative role. Jagapathi Babu, after playing jaded roles in 'Peddanna' and many others, is refreshing as a Sadhu but his screen-time is very limited. Pragya Jaiswal, as an IAS officer who falls for Murali Krishna, is average. Subbaraju is seen in an extended cameo in the first half. Among others, 'Kalakeya' Prabhakar gets a typical cop role. Poorna is good as a righteous bureaucrat.

Technical aspects

S Thaman went for Re-Recording with the clear-cut aim of giving the best shot. With ample time at his disposal (due to the pandemic), the talented composer has shown his musical prowess. His BGM is loud here and there but he delivers the mass quotient to an extent. 'Jai Balayya' easily trumps other songs, including the melody 'Adigaa Adigaa'. 

The visuals have upped the game in this one, thanks to C Ram Prasad, who is known for movies such as 'Maryada Ramanna', 'Legend', and 'Jai Simha'. AS Prakash's sets are grand. 

So much depended on the ability of fight masters Ram, Lakshman and Stun Siva to make the film a visual experience of sorts. Balakrishna redeems a few segments with the stunt masters in tandem. But for Boyapati's visualization of the action blocks, 'Akhanda' would have had no salvation. 

M Ratnam's dialogues are impressive in a few scenes, especially where the heroic Aghora has to give monologues. Otherwise, they are run of the mill.

The rom-com track is mediocre. The saving grace is that it's not as silly as the one we saw in 'Vinaya Vidheya Rama', Boyapati's most-hated movie to date. Pragya Jaiswal 's characterization leaves much to be desired. 

The film fails to keep us invested in the story of good versus evil. It's nowhere near 'Legend' and 'Simha'; it knows nothing called gripping narration. After a point, we give up on the villains, who become monotonous. 

Much was expected from Srikanth, but he is not the Numero Uno villain. The metaphysical aspects are the only thing that separates it from usual mass action dramas. If not for the Aghora angle, 'Akhanda' would have been totally routine, totally boring, and totally mindless.

Closing Remarks

Boyapati's story and screenplay don't offer anything new other than the blending of the Aghora angle with the routine template. 'Akhanda' is a very loud film that goes on and on for 165 minutes.

Critic's Rating

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Akhanda Movie Review: Balayya's film is a battle between people who have the loudest roar

Director boyapati sreenu's akhanda is no different from his previous outings. bodies fly everywhere, balayya mouths rousing dialogues and bashes up goons in this commercial entertainer..

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Director Boyapati Sreenu has created his brand of cinema and they are films that require you to keep your brains at home. At this rate, even this statement sounds clichéd, right? That's how Boyapati Sreenu films are. There are two rules in his brand of cinema.

Rule No 1: Do not expect logic. The concept of time and gravity doesn't exist in his universe.

Rule No 2: You will still hear people roaring even after you step out of the cinema hall.

Now, let's get into Akhanda's story. During a rainy night, a woman gives birth to twins. A godman (Jagapathi Babu) senses that one of the twins has a duty to perform and gives him to a saint, who takes him to Kasi. He grows up to be Akhanda (Nandamuri Balakrishna AKA Balyya), a godman who cannot be touched by anybody or anything. In Boyapati's universe, anything means bullets, axes, knives and other weapons.

The other kid named Murali Krishna is a farmer who uses his money to help people. Saranya (Pragya Jaiswal) becomes the collector of the district, who falls in love with Murali Krishna. In a span of five minutes, over a song, they get married and have a kid.

Meanwhile, there's Varadarajulu (Srikanth), who, with the help of Gajendra (Niitin Mehta), are involved in illegal uranium extraction.

How the two Balayyas meet and fight for the good forms the crux of the story.

Sounds too much? No, not in Boyapati's universe. The character arc of Murali Krishna at first takes you by surprise. He doesn't believe in violence. But soon, you get a huge slap on your face for having high hopes. He uses violence to put the bad guys in place. Since he's a good man, a little violence can be exempted.

Like every Boyapati film, Akhanda has bodies flying everywhere, the hero bashing the goons left, right and centre and the heroines sidelined to cry and hype up the hero. In Akhanda, more than the supporting characters, it is the assistant directors and the technicians who would have had to work hard. The overuse of blowers and the smoke machine, tell us that.

This is Balayya's show all the way - especially the Akhanda version. In fact, even Murali Krishna takes a backseat when Akhanda comes on screen. From mouthing powerful and meaningful dialogues to teaching the villains the right lesson, he does everything with so much ease. But, do not ask how Akhanda came to Murali Krishna's village in such a short time. Remember rule No 1?

Akhanda is also a battle between people who have the loudest roar. The villains shout at a certain decibel level. And the hero overpowers. So much so that you hear them even after you've stepped out of the theatre.

Akhanda had a solid story underneath all the mass vehicle moments. But, in an attempt to glorify the hero, the story gets sidelined. While Pragya Jaiswal oversells her performance, other actors did deliver a decent performance.

Akhanda is a film that is strictly for Balayya fans. There are several moments that will make you cheer for him. But, that is it.

2 out of 5 stars for Akhanda.

ALSO SEE | Balakrishna and Shruti Haasan's film with Gopichandh Malineni goes on floors. See pics

ALSO SEE | After his controversial statements on AR Rahman, Balakrishna shoots for Akhanda in TN

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What’s it about?

Twins separated at birth grow up in two different regions. One of them becomes a righteous landlord Muralikrishna (Balakrishna) in Ananthapuram. The other is raised as Akhanda (Balakrishna) by Sadhus in Benaras.

Murali Krishna builds hospitals and schools in his region. People love him. In Karnataka, an evil person kills a mathadipathi and takes over his place. He appoints Varadarajulu (Srikanth) to run a mining company in Rayalaseema. 

Newly appointed collector Sarwani (Pragya Jaiswal) and the state’s secretary for the environment (Poorna) suspect that Varadarajulu’s company is mining Uranium on the pretext of copper. On the other hand, Sarwani quickly falls in love with Muralikrishna and gets married to him. 

Meanwhile, an incident puts Muralikrishna in big trouble, and Sarwani gets suspended. When Sarwani’s daughter is in danger, Akhanda (Balakrishna) appears to save her and protect the region from the mining mafia. 

‘Akhanda’, the third outing in the combination of Balakrishna and Boyapati, begins without much fuss and gets straight to the main point. It is a simple story. Frankly, the story is rehashed version of Boyapati’s hit movies, closer to ‘Legend’. 

The first half is passable with the romantic track between Balakrishna and Pragya Jaiswal, and some fights. It is more of an exercise for the arrival of the titular character – Akhanda. When hope dies, when evil spreads its wings, Akhanda arrives!

Once Akhanda enters the scene, the drama seems to be heading for a joyful ride, with Balakrishna in his massy ‘sadhu’ avatar mouths powerful dialogues. The initial portions in the second half are riveting. The look of Akhanda and the performance steal the show. However, the novelty and grip peter down quickly as Boyapati peppers the narrative with beaten-to-death mass elements that we have already seen in his previous works. 

The predictability of the narrative kills the interest.

Akhanda is a mighty force with divine powers on his side, but the villains look too weak. With no strong opposition, Akhanda’s superhero character turns bland as well. Yes, there are some superbly choreographed fights. But they turn repetitive. After a point we feel, why is Akhanda still fighting, when he can easily smash them with one fist. Moreover, one scene after the other becomes an ‘elevation of heroism’.

The best part of the film is the design of Akhanda’s getup and Balakrishna’s performance in the role. The disappointment is that beyond these two aspects, it offers nothing. The film neither has entertainment nor romance. Like always, Boyapati has not cared about the logic part. The NIA investigation and Poorna’s role are examples.

Luckily to Balakrishna’s die-hard fans, there are moments for them to enjoy. There are dialogues like “Oka Maata Nuvvante Shabdam, Ade Maata Nenu Ante Saashanam”, “Samasya Vaste Dandam Pedutaru…Memu Aa Samasyake Pindam Pedutam…Both are not same” provide them opportunity to clap.

Coming to performances, Balakrishna excels as Akhanda. It is one of his best mass characters and he seems to have enjoyed playing it. The film is entirely his show. Balakrishna roars like a lion.

Boyapati presents his heroines as MLAs (Catherine Tresa in Sarrainodu) and IAS officers (Pragya Jaiswal is a collector and Poorna as a principal secretary) but reduces them to play regular heroine roles after a couple of scenes. Srikanth gets the look right for a villain but he is not effective as Jagapathi Babu looked in ‘Legend’. 

Among Thaman’s numbers, ‘Jai Balayya’ works but it is his background score that stands out. Thaman has come up with one of his best background scores. His work has elevated many sequences in the second half. Ramprasad’s camerawork is noteworthy.

Bottom-line:  : Director Boyapati’s ‘Akhanda’ is out an out mass film that is aimed at Balakrishna’s hardcore fans. Balakrishna roars in the role of Akhanda which would appeal to the fans but the film runs predictably with lengthy action stunts, with unnecessary dialogues. The beaten-to-death narrative is another issue.

Rating: 2.75/5

By Jalapathy Gudelli

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Akhanda movie review.

Article by Suman M Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 9:13 am, 2 December 2021

2 Hr 48 Min   |   Action - Drama   |   01-12-2021

Cast - Balakrishna, Pragya Jaiswal, Srikanth, Jagapathi Babu, Nitin Mehta, Poorna and others

Director - Boyapati Sreenu

Producer - Miryala Ravinder Reddy

Banner - Dwaraka Creations

Music - S Thaman

Nandamuri Balakrishna and Boyapati Sreenu’s combination has become a hit sentiment to Balayya’s fans with the previous two movies of the combo turning blockbusters. Simha and Legend were massive hits, and here comes the duo yet again with Akhanda. The trailer appeared powerful with Balayya in Akhanda look and locking horns with powerful villains. The movie hit the screens today and that too with huge openings all over. Let us walk through the review now.

What Is It About?

Gajendra (Nitin Mehta) takes over Maharudra Peetham in Karnataka to become its head and conduct his illegal activities using his influence as Maharudra Peethadhipati. His partner, Varada Rajulu (Srikanth) a ruthless baddie owns a mine with which he starts polluting the surroundings with his mining mafia and Uranium extraction.

Murali Krishna (Balakrishna), a farmer and a social reformer in Anantapur falls in love with District collector Saranya (Pragya Jaiswal) and they both get married. Murali Krishna learns about Varadarajulu’s mafia and also that the mining waste is the reason for the death of many in his area. Murali confronts him but goes behind bars in an unfortunate scenario and his family falls in trouble due to Varadarajulu. Meanwhile, Murali’s long-lost twin Akhanda Rudra Sikander Ghora (Balakrishna) comes to rescue Murali’s little daughter. What separated Murali and Akhanda? How Akhanda saves all and what is he up to? The remaining story answers these questions.

Performances

Balakrishna is usual as Murali Krishna, but he’s shown powerful as Akhanda. Balakrishna appears as a juggernaut and unstoppable in the role of Akhanda. But the elevation scenes and the stunt scenes go beyond the limit. Most of them have the goons literally flying in the air after Balayya delivers a kick or punch. Murali Sharma’s role is elevated in the first half, and to everybody’s surprise, he does not have a single dialogue in the second half. Balayya as Akhanda looks powerful and it is a treat to fans.

Pragya Jaiswal has a full-length role as Murali Krishna’s wife and she is alright. Even she did not get to utter a dialogue in the second half, where Akhanda takes over.

Poorna aka Shamna Kasim appears as a government official who suffers badly for trying to put baddies behind the bars. Nitin Mehta is just like any other Bollywood villain and he is not any special. Srikanth looked ruthless and he can get more rugged baddie roles after this. Balayya and Srikanth’s confrontation and action scenes are just okay. Jagapathi Babu will be seen in a small role that is just limited to elevating Akhanda.

Technicalities

Boyapati Sreenu did not leave his formula for his movies with Balayya. He might have thought it as a success mantra to have Balakrishna in the dual role. He came up with it yet again in Akhanda too. The first half will have a jovial yet powerful Balayya and when he gets into trouble, the second one comes out even more powerful to save them all. So, Balayya knows the drill and he did everything by the Boyapati’s book.

Among the songs, Jai Balayya is colorful and may impress the fans and masses. Akhanda song is also fine. The background music is good. The cinematography is good. Editing is fine. Some dialogues are good, while some go overboard.

Most of the fight scenes are prolonged. Also, it is high time that the stunts with goons getting crushed to the pulp or flying in the air needs a change. In many scenes, it is just blood, dust, and bodies all over.

Balakrishna as Akhanda Dialogues Background music

Thumbs Down

First Half Prolonged action scenes Formulaic writing Excess run time

Boyapati Sreenu must be under a lot of pressure to deliver a hattrick with Balayya that too after his disastrous Vinaya Vidheya Rama. He stuck to his formula of two Balayyas, a big family, two or three villains, elevation dialogues, and extreme action scenes.

The story of a bad guy’s mining mafia obstructed by the protagonist finally the good winning over evil is as old as mountains. Boyapati goes with the same story, except that he shows Balayya as agora like no other director ever did.

The movie begins with the establishment of the villain’s role and then Balayya’s entry. From there it goes mostly on a predictable note and gives us a feeling that we watched it already elsewhere.

The first half of the movie has unwanted elevation dialogues and scenes one after the other. The love story between Balayya and Pragya Jaiswal is completely boring while there are even boring episodes like ‘Kallu’ drinking and others. There were many boring scenes where Balayya will be seen lecturing people without missing the rhyming words.

Balayya (Murali Sharma) getting arrested for a bomb blast and staying silent since then appears illogical. Though it is the director’s plan to put his calm in the second half to elevate Akhanda, it could be justified. Somehow the same Balayya comes out of jail for the climax fight scene.

The sincere officer who arrests Balayya accusing his possible hand in the blast listens to Akhanda’s preachings even though the latter makes a pile of dead bodies. The NIA officer stays along but fails to establish a connection of bomb blast to mining mafia goons, which makes no sense.

There are some cliched and over-dramatic scenes like the people giving away their lives to save the protagonist’s family, a central minister praising Balayya like a fan, and many more.  

One more drawback for Akhanda is its run time. The first half appears dragged with songs and too many boring episodes, while the second half has prolonged stunt scenes.

Having said that, Akhanda is a Boyapati-Balayya formulaic commercial film that offers no surprises or great twists. Balayya’s Akhanda look and dialogues in certain scenes with apt background score are sure to give goosebumps to his fans. Finally, Akhanda remains a complete mass movie in Boyapati-Balayya template.

Bottom line: High Voltage Action Without Emotion

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