Sep 25, 20223 min read

Akhanda: The Best Film from Boyapati-Balayya

Updated: Feb 26, 2023

Reviews by:

@mr.cinemaaa

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Project Details

Director: Boyapati Srinu
Written By: Boyapati Srinu
Dialogues: M. Ratnam
Produced By: Miryala Ravinder Reddy
Production House: Dwaraka Creations
Cinematography: C. Ram Prasad
Music Director: Thaman S
Edited By: K.Venkateshwara Rao & Tammiraju
Art Director: AS. Prakash
Costumes: Raamz Stun Shiva & Ram-Lakshman
Action/Stunts: Shankar & Bhanu
Choreography: Raghunadh .K
Sound Design: Raghunadh .K
Run Time: 2 Hours & 47 Minutes
CBFC Rating : "U/A"

Direction & Story

The film is about how Akhanda, a fierce devotee of Lord Shiva who stands tall against evildoers when Murali Krishna & his family are in danger. Who is this Akhanda? What is his background? needs to be seen. The story by Boyapati Srinu is noting new and falls into his same old format where there are two characters, and one comes to help the other when he is in trouble. His narration is predictable coz of the wafer-thin plot. The screenplay is pretty half-backed coz it is packed with many mass masala elements which one expects from this combo. All the scenes are designed well which will elevate both the main characters in the film. Director Boyapati Srinu sets the plot to perfection by weaving a mythical story with mass moments in a way only he can do it in Balayya's trademark style. All his mass moments are sure to elicit whistles in the theatres as he gives a complete treat for all the fans.

Lead Performances

Nandamuri Balakrishna is terrific. Balayya sports two completely contrasting avatars. He looks solid and is the first & foremost reason anyone sticks to the entire narrative. In the role of a social reformer, he exudes swag and as well as mass. But the real standout is his portrayal of an Aghora. He brings life to all the key scenes with his amazing appearance as Akhanda. To say, Balayya as the Aghora is on another level in the film. His attire, body language, and diction suit the role very well. This role caters to all the mass galleries and Boyapati elevates it like a pro in his trademark style. Pragya Jaiswal is this typical ‘Boyapati film heroine’ where she is romancing the hero in the first half and later we see her crying & running in fear all through the second half. Apart from this, she looks gorgeous on screen & has done a pretty decent job with her performance as a young collector & as the hero's love interest.

Detailed Analysis

Srikanth sheds his family avatar and tries a full-fledged villain role. He is solid & ferocious as Varadarajulu. He shines in his introduction scene and his pre-interval face-to-face encounter with Balayya in the mines. Jagapathi Babu is just about okay as Aghora Baba. Poorna gets a meaty role & she delivers an impactful performance as Padmavati, PA to the collector. Niitin Mehta does an okayish job as the main antogonist, Gajendra Sahu. But a better actor & a wellknown face could have been even better for this role. Kalakeya Prabhakar is fine playing a cruel & corrupt police officer while Sravan is good as the villain's son. Subbaraju is neat as the minister Bharath Reddy. The rest of the cast and other artists who did the supporting roles are decent enough in their roles.

Technical Team

Direction: 4.5/5
Story: 3/5
Screenplay: 2.5/5
Dialogues: 4/5
Music/Songs: 4/5
Background Score: 5/5
Production Values: 5/5
Cinematography: 5/5
Editing: 3.5/5
Costumes: 5/5
Choreography: 4.5/5
VFX/Graphics: 4/5
Sound Design: 5/5

Things to Look Out for

Thaman.S breathes life into the film with his mass background score. He is the real hero of the film and his outstanding score deserves a lot of appreciation. The songs are pretty decent too. 'Jai Balayya' is a treat for the fans while the title song is the best one. C. Ram Prasad's camera work is M.Ratnam's dialogues are kickass. superb and his framing is brilliant.

Plus Points