Name: Akhanda (2021)
Genre: Action, Drama
Released: 2021-12-02
Rating: 7.3
Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pragya Jaiswal, Meka Srikanth, Jagapati Babu, Subbaraju

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Akhanda is a Telugu movie starring Nandamuri Balakrishna in the lead role. It is drama directed by Boyapati Srinu.

Akhanda (2021)

IMDB

Times of India

After Legend and Simha, director Boyapati Srinu and actor Balakrishna team up for their third film – a mass masala entertainer that relies solely on the lead’s star power. A good story-line is watered down due to a miscalculated screenplay and everyone takes a backseat for NBK (including one of his characters). The end result might make the star’s fans scream 'Jai Balayya' almost endlessly but one can’t deny that Boyapati fails to pull off what he promises.
Murali Krishna (Balakrishna) is a people’s man in the faction-ridden Anantapur. He is a farmer who uses his income to build hospitals, throw a punch when needed but also reform factionists to care for nature and give up violence. His character is almost a nod to the new direction Balakrishna is willing to take with his roles. District Collector Saranya (Pragya Jaiswal) is unafraid to hold corrupt police officers accountable and dig deep into misdoings in her district with the help of Principal Secretary of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Padmavati (Poorna). And while enough time is spent on how Saranya falls for Murali and they both build a life together (after some weird flirting that takes place over seat belts, taati kallu and telugu tanam), this is not their story.
This is the story of Murali’s long-lost twin Akhanda (Balakrishna as an aghora/baba) who is taken away from his family by a Baba (Jagapathi Babu) because he has a destiny to fulfil. It is believed he is born to right the wrongs of Gajendra Sahu (Niitin Mehta), a ruthless man who takes over an ashram and pretends he’s a saint to cover up his crimes. Also in this tale is Varada Rajulu (Srikanth), another ruthless man who takes up illegal uranium mining in Nallamala under the guise of copper mining. When people whose lives Murali vowed to protect are lost and Saranya has to fight to save what’s left of her family, Akhanda heads on a war-path to save the day.
While the basic premise of Akhanda is interesting, especially the way Boyapati sets it up by weaving a mythical story with mass moments in a way only he can, he soon loses the plot (literally) and gets carried away with giving Akhanda and Murali mass moments that are sure to elicit whistles but don’t do anything for the story. He also takes a detour to wax eloquent on everything from nature to the importance of God and temples to how women (like nature) are meant to be protected not ravaged. The irony is lost on no one when the film indulges in double entrendre dialogues, introduction scenes that involve vonis flying and women/girls being used as collaterals of war. None of this adds to the story either. From the minute Akhanda enters the frame, everything and everyone takes a backseat, including Murali. Saranya and Padmavati are turned into damsels-in-distress, Murali is lost in his own guilt and grief, and even the supposedly powerful Gajendra and Varada hold no footing now because Akhanda has the hand of Shiva himself protecting him. Nay, he is even believed to be God himself.
Balakrishna gets the chance to shine because he fills almost every frame of the film either as Murali or Akhanda. He gets to dance and indulge in dialogue-baazi when he’s not showing off his cool new avatar in slow-motion shots that focus on his fake tattoos and piercing eyes. And while that’s initially enough to give you a rush, it soon gets exhausting as the film progresses. Pragya might get an introduction (almost) on par with the hero but she’s lost to the proceedings, despite her giving the character her all. Poorna, Srikanth, Niitin, Jagapathi Babu, Kalakeya Prabhakar, Subbaraju and others have one-tone characters that they breeze through.
Apart from the mass moments and fights (by Ram-Laxman) that are fun (but there are too many of them), what works for the film is Thaman’s BGM. His score and Ram Prasad’s cinematography set the tone for the film, even making the proceedings interesting when it’s clear Boyapati is filling runtime with nothing much to say. At the end of it all, the length of the film (2-hours-47-minutes) doesn't seem justified for the story he wants to tell. You are also left with the feeling that despite Balakrishna’s aghora character Akhanda taking up so much time, Boyapati misses potential there to do more with it.
Akhanda is the kind of entertainer that’ll work strictly for Balakrishna’s fans because anyone looking to just kill time over a tub of popcorn might leave exhausted. Seeing as how it has been long since a star entertainer has hit the screens, time will tell if this is the film that drives back people to the theatres.

India Today

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.

The Indian Express

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.

Akhanda Trailer Roar | Nandamuri Balakrishna | Boyapati Srinu | Thaman S | Dwaraka Creations

Nandamuri Balakrishna aka NBK is a politician and actor who predominantly works in Tollywood. Known for his dancing skills, Balakrishna has acted in more than hundred feature films in varied roles. He rose to fame through the 80s films like  Sahasame Jeevitham, Janani Janmabhoomi, Lorry Driver and Nari Nari Naduma Murari. Over the years, he has won several awards and accolades for his work.

Nandamuri Balakrishna

Pragya Jaiswal

Meka Srikanth is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He debuted in the film Madura Nagarilo (1991). He has appeared in more than 100 Telugu films. He is best known for his performance in Swarabhishekam (2004), Mayajalam (2006), Mahatma (2009), Virodhi (2011), Sarrainodu (2016), Villain (2017) and Yuddham Sharanam (2017), Raa Raa (2018), W/O Ram (2018), and Operation 2019 (2018), Marshal (2019), Jai Sena (2021), Telangana Devudu (2021) and Akhanda (2021).

Meka Srikanth

With a career spanning over 25 years, Jagapati Babu is one of the most celebrated names in South Indian Cinema. Winner of 3 Filmfares and 7 of the prestigious Nandi Awards, Jagapati Babu has starred in films like Gaayam (Telugu), Madrasi (Tamil), Bachchan (Kannada), Srimanthudu (Telugu), Rangasthalam (Telugu) and Sye Raa Narsimha Reddy (Telugu) among others.

Jagapati Babu

Penmetsa Subbaraju is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Subbaraju has played a variety of roles, from negative to supporting characters. His most notable works include Amma Nanna O' Tamil Ammayi, Arya, Pokiri, Leader.

Subbaraju

Avinash is a popular name in the Kannada and Tamil movies for more than two decades. His famous movies include Chigurida Kanasu (2003), School Master (2010), Yuddha Kaanda (1989), Mathadana (2001), Aptharakshaka (2010), Sandamarutham (2015) and Moondraam Ullaga Por (2016). Avinash is also a recipient of Filmfare and Karnataka State Film Award.

Avinash

Prabhakar is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. He is known for his role as Inkoshi, king of the Kalakeyas in Baahubali: The Beginning. He has starred in films like Maryada Ramanna, which won the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film for 2010, and Dongaata, starring Lakshmi Manchu and Adivi Sesh.

Akhanda (2021)

Akhanda (2021)(2021)

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