"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

"Dictator" (Telugu Film Review)

My Review of "Dictator" Review

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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.