"Akhanda" (Telugu Film Review)

 

“Akhanda” (streaming on Hotstar) is worth the wait for Balayya fans who didn’t dare go near the theaters. A perfect Boyapeeti Seenu mark movie with all the right notes about woman power, climate control and those incredulous, blood-curdling, surreal stunts in slow-motion. Balakrishna shows restraint and composure in both the characters elevating the two roles of a farmer and an Aghori. Screenplay is concise and taut, and dialogues hit the bull’s eye for Balayya fans besides making a point about Hindu culture’s new-age recalcitrance. Music by Thaman is the soul of the film; take it away, and most of the Akhanda’s phenomenal screen-presence would have fallen flat. What can subtract the film is the over-dose of physical violence- when in fact, a brilliant opportunity was lost to showcase the spiritual and the subtle powers of Aghori played by “Akhanda”. 

 

Overall, performances by Poorna, Srikant, Pragnya, Jagapathi Babu give good support to another powerful performance by Balayya. If only some of the stunts got subtler or even cut out at the editing table, the second half would have been more engaging in this 167 minute extravaganza. Still, "Akhanda" lapped up more adulation in Telugu states than "Pushpa" in the way it showed larger-than-life effects without lowering the dignity of women. 

 

A few years from now on, "Akhanda" will be remembered for the taut screenplay and straighter narration sans humour, of telling an improbable story of an Aghori inserted in the most unthinkable way as a twin. Music by SS Thaman will be remembered for the burdens of interpreting the world of mendicants meditating upside down in his own fusion style music which has layers of mantras, strings, and techno plug-ins blended into one long spell of Buddha-bar-resembling sound tracks. It lacks the simplicity we saw of Thaman in the whole of 2020 and most of 2021 but what can he do if the idiom demanded it?

 

My rating: 3.25/5

"Lion" (Telugu)

Tollywood's longest running dual role matinee idol Balakrishna tries to roar back with a different plot and a new director Satya Deva. The film was expected to to do roaring business given this is Balayya's first film as an MLA. It was expected to be a hat-trick victory for all those blazing guns of Nandamuri who sighted victory on "Pataas" and "Temper". But Alas! bad screenplay and lousy narration alongwith zombie treatment have spoilt it. Trisha and Radhika Apte are roped in for glamor but both looked a leaf too familiar from old foliage. Mani Sharma, the music director who gave Balayya second lease of life from "Samarasimha Reddy" onwards scores just one melodious song and lackadaisical BGM for this film - it looks as if he was imitating DSP's "Legend" score. Very disappointing score except the first song with Siva Balaji, Balayya and Archana.

What went wrong in this 137 minute film without a marked-out sequence, if you count out the countless number of stunts and blood-dripping violent deaths and identified flying objects jumping off the earth's axis? Story is under-developed, promising but bizarre in the end. Bose (Balayya) is a tech-savvy CBI officer notorious for raiding the most powerful men amassing public loots and gawdily displaying their stealth. His eccentric ways frame many powerful leaders including CM Prakash Raj who became a CM by killing Vijay Kumar in a "twisted" way. (That is about the most unique point in the film that even channel programming can be hacked to manufacture news). 

Balayya                                                                                                                                                                        is the Joint Director of CBI who is about to crack the "cold-blooded murder". Here is where director Satya infuses a piece out of sci-fi movies. What happens if the CBI officer creates an unhackable firewall that self-reveals itself to the CBI head-quarters whether the officer dies or not? And how Prakash Raj reconstructs a bizarre world that never existed around Balayya while trying to annihilate him through medical, mortal and unthinkable ways of torture and harrassment. All of this masterminding memes are revealed to us in multiple flashbacks before and after interval, sometimes through other characters and sometimes through the hero and the villain. And then, wonder of wonders, after all this mixture of Robin Cook and Sidney Sheldon plot mixture, comes a James Bond twist where the CBI officer does spectacular stunts - with feats galore. 

In one scene, he detects an injectible that is injected into his body so he smashes a mirror in the washroom and thaws out the damn piece. In another scene, he is caught by a speeding chopper out of a bazooka van and then to save himself cuts the ropes that bind him with scissors beneath his shoes ripping open. In almost every scene, the CBI officer has not come for a raid or slapping charges after investigation but actually exchange fire like some battlefield generals across borders.It is encouraging to think that the director has some futuristic vision of our CBI officers - who combine the skills of a Navy Seal with that of a Computer Geek and spice it up with the chivalry of a Jam Bond. Because Satya Deva is a first-time director, the film suffers a lot of impressario stunts and special effects and high-decibel violence with a sense of intelligence that is actually illogical and absurd. Because of the fatal fault in this bizarre storyline, Balayya looks without makeup till interval and then runs like a Gazille without much romance and emotions in the second half. 

The romance remains a non-starter because of the amnesiac Balayya in the first half, and the couple of  songs here and there hardly give relief to the audience. Only those echo-sounding dialogues can uplift a film of this nature but the director has written them himself so he sprinkles just a few impactful dialogues - hardly enough in a Balayya film. My favorite dialogue: "Subash Chandra Bose has no death date, and this Bose has no death"). Comedy by Ali and MS Narayana (how many films has he done before passing out?) doesn't fire. Prakash Raj is the most insipid villain seen in a long time. Despite some dazzling stunts and visual effects, the movie wears you out and bakes your brain. Balayya fans will have to wait for his  98th film or 100th film (with Boyapati Srinu) to have a hurrah after "Legend". There are interesting obvious resemblances the CBI director Laxminarayana's raid on Gali Janardhan Reddy but instead of building it up with the seriousness of a super sleuth, the film loses its way in the middle. Skip it if you can't take mindless violence and senseless story. Satya Deva needs to regroup for better treatment, story, emotions and screenplay..

Rating: 2/5

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"Legend" (Telugu) Film Review

"Legend" is a mighty entertainer that is more intense than a T20 match and a perfect film for Balayya's aging persona which suits his films one way - the highway of high-octane action, violence, anti-gravity stunts and rabble-rousing and of course, sentiment. The film generated unprecedented buzz after its satellite rights were bought by Gemini for Rs.9 crores - that's the highest for any Telugu film. 

"Legend" is all about a 160 minute duel between the family of Balakrishna and Jagapathi Babu, a factionist who thrives on terrorising people and building capital. Jagapathi Babu sets foot on Vizag for a marriage alliance and runs into rough weather with Suman, father of Elder Balayya over a road accident. Jagapathi Babu is chastised by the folks and hauled up. Unrepentent Jagapathi Babu decides to make Vizag his new "adda" and systematically eliminates Balayya's mother and father Suman. Enraged, the young Balayya annihilates the brotherly gang of Jagapathi Babu. The never-ending saga of violence forces young Balayya's grandmother to isolate him into oblivion and pack off the younger one, again Balayya to Dubai. Destiny pulls both into finding their mojo in  aggrandizing weapons when confronted by Jagapathi & Co. On the whole, a regular fare but when you infuse this story with many layers of masala fare, glam dolls Sonal Chauhan and Radhika Apte to serenede the two Balayyas, an item song, bazooka violence, and  the tested  "Basha" flashback trick to elevate the character of the elder Balayya, the fans have got the feast of a lifetime from director Boyapati Seenu.

Performance-wise Balakrishna sizzles as the elder Balayya. He has the best dialogues in the film and delivered them with all the weighty modulations they deserve. His body language has shifted over the years with non-invasive hand-movements (unlike the late NTR) and that is working wonders for Balayya and getting scripts that dovetail.  The absence of other big stars in that space of godfatherly roles has increased the charishma of Balayya whenever he dons such roles. Boyapati Seenu's  strength in exploiting Balayya's strengths on screen once again creates a magical chord as the crowds erupt in joy and clap louder than the sounds spewed out of multiplex speakers. Dialogues by M Ratnam are some of the sharpest as the lines insinuate all glory of the Nandamuri lineage and take potshots at the new princes, submerged leaders and politics defining our age. 

The surprise packet in the film is Jagapathi Babu who reinvents himself as the salt-and-peppered hair villain with a million-buck beard and a baritone that haunts. It is not easy to flaunt an overnight body language for a villain when the opponent is a legend like Balayya. But with minimal dialogues and maximum eye-ball movement and subtle body language, Jagapathi hit a home run that will surely get him meaty roles. He has less than half page dialogue but registers his screen presence strongly against a verbose but imposing Balayya. 

There are weaknesses in the film, though. Story is the biggest letdown. Boyapati has picked two mighty stars in hero-antihero roles but hasn't concentrated on giving their confrontations the mileage it deserves. There is no variety, creativity or chutzpah to underscore the duel between the two. By choosing a story that just shows Jagapathi spitting venom all the time against Balayya's family and about four not-so-strong scenes of confrontation, director lost a golden opportunity. Even in Mahabharata, the story between two families had unprecedented twists but this one is just a tailfish story with grotesque violence upon grotesque violence. Boyapati concentrated on showing Jagapathi in one way throughout the film but it must be said that that may work wonders for his career because Jagapathi can save his new tricks for a pronounced career as a villain.

Incredulity is another weakness. So much anarchy happens in mainstream Vizag and the police is shown hand-in-gloves with wilful criminals vandalizing people and properties. Violence also grates. More people are routinely killed, shot dead or butchered in this film than all the people who died for the cause of Telangana. By showing a juvenile Balakrishna (son of Balakrishna?) who kills thirty people in 12 seconds, Boyapati Seenu had shown children can get glorified in their violence - a shameful feat that will remain unparalleled. No wonder, the film got A certificate. Films like this may even become blockbuster films but the atavaism they promote will come back to haunt our society more.

Music wise DSP gives a different twist to the tunes- they are catchy and peppy and a few songs stand out in melody and rhythms. Radhika Apte, the girl who acted in "Rakta Charitra" sizzles in the film better than Sonal Chauhan. Brahmanandam is actually a bore in the film, don't take him seriously. The one who steals her share of limelight is the lady who plays Balayya's grandmother - watch out for her as the new maternal mom, last seen in "English Vinglish". The scene where a set of MLAs discuss what the voter wants in today's democracy is the most telling commentary on the state of affairs - that is itself a paisa vasool sequence.  On the whole, a comprehensive masala film with an overdose of violence. It deserves 3 out of 5. But don't go near it if you hate violence.

"Adhinayakudu" Movie Review (Telugu)

"Adhinayakudu" is a 3G wireless gift for Balayya (Balakrishna) fans - it shows Balayya in son, father and grand-father roles. Parachuri Murali is the writer-director ( I don't know which other movies he directed with a famous surname like that). The story is set in Rayalaseema backdrop but comes with a different treatment that his fans are usually used to. Harish Chandra Prasad is the patriarch who rules the hearts of the masses in many villages by getting FDI approvals for an iron-ore project in Kurnool. He convinces many and moves against many odds to get the project approved so that more people turn to employment instead of taking up sickles and bombshells. His son Rajendra Prasad takes on the responsibility of carrying out intent of the father. But the villains who don't like the good samaritans divide the father and son and what more, connive to brainwash the grandson in his infancy to kill the grandfather. This is the story that is unravelled in the end - but the story begins differently - the juvenile who grows up in Mumbai follows his roots to Rayalaseema and then the familiar climax - after lots of twists, flashback, romance, comedy and fights.


To be fair, Parachuri Murali weaves an intelligent plot with three diverse roles for Balayya and infuses life into the scripting and screenplay. The movie moves with a verve and freshness not usually associated with a Balakrishna movie. Dialogues are classy not crass, music is just about okay even though Kalyani Mallik - the less-talented music director of MM Keeravani tries hard especially in one or two numbers and OST. Lakshmi Rai sizzles with her thread-bare revelations in two songs and carries on her glamor well. The main villains led by Kota Sreenivasa Rao and Ajay do a good job. Brahmanandam comes up with a fine performance - and his comedy with the young Balakrishna masquerading as an alien from Mars is hilarious and fresh fun. Violence is also grossly toned down and so are the dialogues - they are not at all political and censorable, I am surprised they are written by somebody other than Parachuri brothers but bearing the same surname.

There are few observations on the film. In his anxiety to project all three characters in equal length, director adopts a racy track to collapse many frames and moods in quick succession - at times, it comes out good but sometimes the intensity is diluted. There is a danger, just like VV Vinayak's screenplay in "Chenna KeshavaReddy" that the characterisation goes adrift because of the need to show a screen friction between father and son, and later between son and grandson. Sometimes, you do get confused in having to take sides with the three characterisations - they never syncronise in one moment except for a fleeting phase during flashback. 15 Reels is also a bit long for a movie nowadays despite efforts to edit most scenes. Director has a talent and grip over making intelligent and sensibile cinema and for that he deserves a pat - you can watch it once for the treatment and the thrills and the diversity of roles played by an ageing hero. Even though I am not a great fan of Balakrishna, this movie shows him in better light than his movies in the past. I wonder why "Adhinayakudu" was delayed for 4 months without a buyer - it is passable fare and watchable for most of the time. I only wonder whether the fans, who seem to be calling most of the shots in Tollywood, will take an under-tone, under-stated Balayya. This is a better performance for NBK than "Srirama Rajyam".

"Dammu" Movie Review (Telugu)

“Dammu” means “stamina” in Telugu. Supposed to be short-hand for the box-office charishma of the short-statured, short-tempered NTR Jr. He ropes in Boyapati Sreenu who delivered monstrous hits for Balakrishna ("Simha") and Venkatesh ("Tulasi"). And two heroines  - the in-form but ageing Diva Trisha who looks glam despite puffy eye-bags and tired looks, and a not so cute but taller than NTR Karthika. Does it all add to the magic of NTR? No, it fails miserably.


Reasons are manifold like root causes for food price inflation. A hackneyed story set in a village with two families who war with each other for generations. A screenplay that’s jerky, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, overall disappointing. Violence that is inescapable and unreasonable – even fans and Karate Kids and youth won’t clap for one scene of too many that gnaw your brain away. This madness has to stop one day and it looks NTR is still in no mood to wish violence away for family audiences who come to see his films. Characterisation that grossly under-utilises talents like Kota, Brahmanandam, Suman and Venu (“Hanuman Junction”). What redeems the film is the string of punchlines written by M.Ratnam - they may regale the fans for few moments but the excessive trappings of Balakrishna become too much to handle for NTR - he is not yet mature enough to handle such roles of "Samarasimha Reddy". Music by MM Keeravani is average. Only one song "Sri Sri Raja Vasireddy" evokes awe.

NTR definitely scores a fine performance with impeccable dialogue delivery, designer moustache and improved looks. But its unlikely this movie will be well-received by fans as there are too many flaws and inconsistencies that make it tortuously long in 165 mins. Almost every other hero – Nagarjuna, Prabhas, Mahesh, Allu Arjun – experiment with makeovers and crossover roles. But NTR still thinks his surname and family fan base will get him far notwithstanding weak scripts and incredulous storylines - which audiences in villages are also tiring of – two heroines, thigh-slapping, sickle head-chops, whatever. He is too talented for doing just Balakrishna remixes at his age – he can go very far with his “Dammu” if he leaves the beaten path of this “Dammu”.

"Simha" Movie Review

Simha could be Balakrishna's first hit in seven years and may unleash a frenzyof sorts amongst his fans. But the  plot is not new, and in sticking to the story of hero-his-heroic father (you get the idea), director Boyapati Seenu lets loose fifth-degree violence and relishes, and even justifies it - Sumos blasting mid-air, trains smashing humans, and axes dripping  in blood. No wonder Sumos are hardly seen on roads and railways cross their line but the axe-effect continues to plague Tollywood. Thats because fans don't insist on heads (of such heroes) to roll. Celebrate, if you are a Balayya fan. Otherwise, you haven't lost anything, if you decide to skip it. But Balakrishna emotes well especially the Senior's role and he has a mouthful of dialogues which is music to fans'  ears . Nayanatara, Sneha and Namitha  add glamour and oomph.