Akhanda 2

By the time Akhanda 2: Thaandavam reaches its finale, what remains is a film overflowing with ambition but underwritten at every turn. It wants to be devotional, patriotic, mythological, and mass-heavy all at once. In trying to achieve everything, it spreads itself thin and ends up offering very little that feels cohesive, original, or emotionally gripping. What survives are a handful of high-voltage moments tailored specifically for Balakrishna’s dedicated fan base — moments that do deliver, even when the rest of the film does not. In the end, Boyapati’s latest collaboration with Balakrishna becomes a noisy, chaotic swirl of familiar tropes, divine imagery, and patriotic fervour. There are flashes of the old magic, but they flicker within a narrative that never finds clarity or balance.

The biggest shortcomings of “Akhanda 2” are its ineffective screenplay and lack of strong villains. Boyapati replaces the typical factionist or mining baron antagonist with the Chinese army, but even this shift fails to evoke patriotism.

The entire drama around China’s military, virus, and antidote is laughable to say the least. We know we should not think about logic to enjoy Boyapati’s movies and even if you step into the theatre with an open mind, the movie still baffles you with gravity-defying action sequences where NBK fights with goons, soldiers, evils, robots and whatnot. There’s no story whatsoever in the film. It is an out-and-out attempt to cash in on the success of the brand ‘Akhanda’. It is shocking to see not even a single sequence throughout the film which has emotional depth.

While this sets up a fascinating battle at first glance, the film soon gets carried away and resists creating a compelling narrative worth the pitch. The first half is a whirlwind with imagination that includes many outlandish yet entertaining fight sequences. However, as things proceed, Akhanda 2 starts to sermonise and dispense long monologues about divinity, the Sanatana Dharma and a mystical energy that will provide answers to the actual war that is unfolding within the country and at the border. It is noteworthy that one of the main antagonists is an Indian himself, and Boyapati Sreenu (sort of) avoids being chauvinistic for as long as he can, even while the overall temperament of the film is loud and unrestrained. But just as you tell yourself that this worldview feels different, the film starts to castigate other cultures in order to prop up its own value system.