From the minute Akhanda enters the frame, everything and everyone takes a backseat, including Murali. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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). His character is almost a nod to the new direction Balakrishna is willing to take with his roles. 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. Murali Krishna (Balakrishna) is a people’s man in the faction-ridden Anantapur.
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. A good story-line is watered down due to a miscalculated screenplay and everyone takes a backseat for NBK (including one of his characters). Review: 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. Story: Murali Krishna and Akhanda are separated at birth because one of them has a destiny to fulfil and a war to fight.
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