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Akhanda
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBoyapati Srinu
Written byBoyapati Srinu
Produced byMiryala Ravinder Reddy
Starring
CinematographyC. Ramprasad
Edited byKotagiri Venkateshwara Rao
Tammiraju
Music byThaman S
Production
company
Dwaraka Creations
Release date
  • 2 December 2021 (2021-12-02)
Running time
167 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget₹60–70 crore[a]
Box office₹250.8 crore[5]

Akhanda is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action drama film[6] written and directed by Boyapati Srinu. It was produced by Miryala Ravinder Reddy, under Dwaraka Creations. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in a dual role alongside Pragya Jaiswal, Jagapathi Babu, and Srikanth. The soundtrack album and film score is composed by Thaman S.

Released on 2 December 2021, Akhanda opened to mixed reviews from critics and audience. The film gained popularity because of the soundtrack in the movie.[7] The film became a commercial grossing over ₹120.8 crore worldwide, emerging as the second highest-grossing Telugu film of the year and the highest-grossing film in Balakrishna’s career.[8][b] Akhanda was featured at the 53rd International Film Festival of India in the Indian Panorama mainstream section.[11]

Plot

Gajendra Sahu is a wanted bandit who is escaping from the police. During a fight between Gajendra's men and the police, Gajendra gets wounded through his own ammunition and is thrown into the water. He manages to find shelter in a temple under the guidance of a guru. Gajendra murders the guru and becomes the temple priest. Gajendra is now a powerful crime boss who manages organized crime and illegal mining in the Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, Ramachandraiah and his wife are blessed with twins in which one of them is stillborn. Suddenly, an Aghora arrives when the mother is asleep and reveals to Ramachandraiah that the stillborn child has a non-peaceful destiny that leads to the destruction of all evil, that matches with that of Lord Shiva. Ramachandraiah hands over the stillborn child to the Aghora. The Aghora drops the child into the bag of another Aghora while he is meditating and quickly walks away. The child, who is placed in the temple of Lord Shiva, comes to life after a drop of holy water from the oscillating gopuram falls on the child. The child is then raised under the protection of the Aghoras and eventually grows up under the aegis of Lord Shiva and names the child Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora. The other child grows up as Murali Krishna.

Years later, Murali Krishna is a respected leader of Anantapur district who is revered by the people when injustice shadows them. Saranya Bachupally is a newly appointed DC and falls for Murali Krishna after learning about his dedication and commitment to society. They get married and bear a daughter who eventually falls sick where Murali Krishna finds most all the children of the district suffer from unknown illnesses. After a thorough investigation by Saranya's Principal Secretary Padmavati, they deduce that the illness is actually due to the rich deposits of uranium that are being illegally mined instead of copper by Varadarajulu and Gajendra's associates. Varadarajulu is a merciless brute who tortures the mining workers for mining and has contacts with corrupt government officials with the help of his brother DSP Ranjan. Murali Krishna confronts Varadarajulu and his men and vows to save the village. Varadarajulu approaches Gajendra, who devises a plan and sets up bombs inside the hospital owned by Murali Krishna. The blast kills many people in the hospital, including Central Minister A. Bharath Reddy. He is then arrested by NIA officer Krishnamacharya Perumal, on the charge of assassinating the minister.

Meanwhile, Varadarajulu's goons chase down Saranya and her sick daughter to kill them. Saranya flees with her daughter into an ancient cave that houses an old temple of Lord Shiva and comes upon Akhanda, who is now an Aghora, with supernatural powers deriving from Lord Shiva. Akhanda, being a manifestation of Rudra, annihilates the goons and protects Saranya and her daughter. Learning this, Gajendra and Varadarajulu get Ranjan and his men to kill Saranya and her daughter, along with the rest of the family, but Akhanda arrives and kills all of the officers except for Ranjan. Akhanda interrupts Gajendra's ritual by killing Ranjan and warns him. Gajendra then goes to Prachanda, who is a Kapalik tantrik, to kill Akhanda. Meanwhile, Akhanda finds Padmavati at a river and brings her back to life, and finds out through his yogic powers that Varadarajulu and Gajendra had found out that she wanted to expose their illegal activities, and Gajendra has her killed and thrown into the river. After seeing all of this through his mystic vision, Akhanda arrives at the mines and kills Varadarajulu and his men.

When Perumal questions Akhanda about his misdeeds, Akhanda reveals that anyone who disturbs the very balance of nature needs to be eradicated and walks away. Perumal learns about Murali Krishna's innocence and releases him from custody. Gajendra and Prachanda devise a trap and place a cursed death spell upon Saranya's daughter, knowing that Akhanda will surely go to Kasi and perform the Mrityunjay puja to free the child and bring her back to life; thereby they could kill Akhanda when he is performing the puja. Akhanda starts the ritual, and Gajendra and his men interrupt it by throwing weapons. Akhanda bears the pain and finishes the ritual successfully. Saranya's daughter is brought back to life. Lord Shiva enters Akhanda and manifests him with mighty powers from Shiva and wreaks havoc upon Gajendra and his men. Murali Krishna arrives and joins Akhanda in the fight. Akhanda kills Gajendra and decapitates Prachanda. Murali Krishna unites with his family, and Saranya's daughter asks Akhanda to stay with their family, but Akhanda disagrees and promises the child that he will arrive whenever the child is on the verge of death and destruction.

Cast

Production

Development

The film marks the third collaboration between Balakrishna and Boyapati Srinu after Simha (2010) and Legend (2014).[13] It was formally launched at a private event held at Hyderabad in December 2019.[14] The film was tentatively titled as BB3 and NBK106. In April 2021, the film's official title was unveiled as Akhanda.[15]

Cast and crew

Sayyeshaa was cast for the film for an undisclosed role in November 2020.[16] Later, she left the project due to an unknown reason. It was also reported that Anjali will be part of the film.[17] In March 2021, it was also reported that the action director duo Ram-Laxman has left the film after working for few action scenes. They were later replaced by Stun Shiva.[18] Speaking to the media, in December 2021, Siva told that "I allocated 80 days for 'Akhanda'. Of them, up to 65 days went into mounting action sequences. The rest of the days went into discussing with the director how to elevate the scenes. Ever since the director narrated the story, I started thinking about how to make the fights novel".[19][20] Initially Prayaga Martin was cast for the lead actress role. Few scenes were also shot featuring her, but was later replaced by Pragya Jaiswal.[21] Pragya was cast in November 2020 after which she joined the production in December 2020. She was part of a 33-day first schedule shot at Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu and Goa.[22] In an interview with The Times of India, she said that "I had to join the film sets as soon as I was roped in, so my prep time was very little. It took me a while to transform myself into the character, and that happened on the sets of 'Akhanda'. I had taken a few references from the real-life lady cops and noted every detail related to their dressing, mannerisms, and small-big details".[23] Stylist and costume designer Raamz has been roped for designing costumes in the film. Speaking to Neeshita Nyayapati about designing costumes for Balakrishna's dual characters, he told that "Given Balakrishna’s larger-than-life persona, I wanted to create looks that would remain memorable for years to come. Boyapati garu (the film’s director) gave his inputs as well and we put in a lot of effort to choose specific fabrics for his look. We also designed his tattoos and the Shiva Lingam locket that he uses in fight scenes".[24]

Filming

Gingee Venkataramana Temple, where climax scenes were shot

Principal photography of the film began in March 2020.[25] After the filming was halted due to COVID-19 pandemic in India,[26] final schedule of the film was resumed in July 2021 at Hyderabad.[27] Few scenes of the film were shot at Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management, Hyderabad Campus. Filming of climax scenes of the film began in end-July 2021 at Tamil Nadu. Most of the action scenes were features Balakrishna and Srikanth.[28] These action scenes were choreographed by Shiva. It was reported that the scenes were shot at Gingee Venkataramana Temple in Viluppuram district of Tamil Nadu.[29][30] As part of the final schedule, the team next headed to Goa in September 2021 to shoot songs of the film.[31][32] Filming was wrapped up in October 2021.[33]

Music

Akhanda
Soundtrack album by
Thaman S
Released9 December 2021 (2021-12-09)
Recorded2020–2021
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length17:06
LanguageTelugu
LabelLahari Music
ProducerThaman S
Thaman S chronology
Enemy
(2021) 		Akhanda
(2021) 		Super Machi
(2022)
Singles from Akhanda
  1. "Adigaa Adigaa"
    Released: 18 September 2021
  2. "Akhanda Title Song"
    Released: 8 November 2021
  3. "Jai Balayya"
    Released: 27 November 2021

The film score and soundtrack album of the film is composed by Thaman S. The first single from the soundtrack, "Adigaa Adigaa" was released on 18 September 2021.[34] The second single "Akhanda Title Song" was released on 8 November 2021.[35] The last single of the album "Jai Balayya" was released on 27 November 2021, during the pre-release event of the film held at Hyderabad.[36] The music rights were acquired by Lahari Music.

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Adigaa Adigaa"Kalyan ChakravarthyS. P. Charan, ML Shruti4:42
2."Akhanda Title Song"Ananta SriramShankar Mahadevan, Siddharth Mahadevan, Shivam Mahadevan, Geetha Madhuri4:44
3."Jai Balayya"Ananta SriramGeetha Madhuri, Sahithi Chaganti, Satya Yamini, Aditi Bhavaraju4:24
4."Amma Song"Kalyan ChakravarthyMohana Bhogaraju3:16
Total length:17:06

Release

Theatrical

The film was initially planned to be released on 28 May 2021.[37] But due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, the film was delayed to 2 December 2021.[38] The Tamil dubbed version of the film was released on 28 January 2022.[39][40] The film was also dubbed in Hindi under the same title.[citation needed]

Home media

Digital distribution rights of the film were acquired by Disney+ Hotstar for ₹15 crore.[41][42][43] Satellite rights of the film were purchased by Star Maa. The film was premiered on Hotstar on 21 January 2022 [44] and became the most watched regional film on OTT platforms.[45] The movie had its television premier on Star Maa on 10 April 2022.[46]

Reception

Critical response

A reviewer from The Hans India rated 3 out of 5 stars, and called it Balakrishna's "one man show," adding "Living up to the expectations, Akhanda also showers a mass treat on the fans. The film is impressive in the way it was made." However, the reviewer was critical of predictable plot and screenplay.[47] 123telugu.com rated the film 3.25 out of 5 stars and stated, "Akhanda is a feast for hardcore fans and Balayya gives them ample moments to cherish with his stunning act."[48]

Writing for The Times of India, Neeshita Nyayapati wrote, "While the basic premise of Akhanda is interesting, especially the way Boyapati sets it up by weaving a historical 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."[49] In her review for The Hindu, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo also echoes the same. "The film gets tiresome post intermission and the incessantly high voltage background score doesn’t help either," she added.[50]

The Indian Express critic Manoj Kumar R said that the film was "an assault on the senses." Kumar was critical of Boyapati's usage of spirituality to provide a moral justification for the character to slaughter people with impunity while trying to appear as pro-progress and pro-rational.[51] In an other negative review, Ram Venkat Srikar of Cinema Express, wrote: "Akhanda is a quintessential Boyapati Sreenu outing where logic dies a brutal death even before the title appears and the audience die a slow death for the next 167 minutes."[52]

Box office

Akhanda collected ₹23 crore in the Telugu states on its opening day.[53][54] Whereas, it has collected a total of ₹29.60 crore worldwide on its opening day.[55] The film collected ₹44 crore, by the second day of its release.[56] At the United States box office, it collected of more than $500,000 within two days of its release.[57][58] By the third day of the film's release, it had collected ₹56.90 crore worldwide. After four days, the film collected ₹74 crores.[59]

By the end of first week, the film grossed ₹87.9 crore worldwide.[60] The film crossed the ₹100 crore worldwide gross in 11 days.[61] By the end of its run, the film grossed ₹120.8 crores earning a distributor share of ₹70 crores. In theatres, the film completed 50 days in 103 centres.[62]

Notes

  1. ^ While The Hans India estimates the budget as 60 crore,[2] The News Minute and Sakshi Post report it as 70 crore.[3][4]
  2. ^ Pinkvilla estimates the final gross figure as ₹120.8 crore,[9] while News18 estimates the final gross figure to be nearly ₹85 crore.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Akhanda". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  2. ^ Vyas (10 November 2020). "High budget for Balayya and Boyapati's movie?". The Hans India.
  3. ^ "Balakrishna's next with Boyapati Srinu put on hold?". The News Minute. 25 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Akhanda Day 3 Collections: Nandamuri Balakrishna Unstoppable at Box Office". Sakshi Post. 5 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Akhanda final box office update; Balakrishna - Boyapati film is True Blue BLOCKBUSTER". Pinkvilla. 1 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Akhanda". British Board of Film Classification. AKHANDA is a Telugu language action drama in which a rural community comes under threat from a villainous gang.
  7. ^ "'Akhanda' Box Office collection: Nandamuri Balakrishna's film collects Rs.20.8 cr on the release day! - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Akhanda : అఖండ మరో రికార్డ్.. 50 కోట్ల క్లబ్‌లో బాలయ్య." News18 Telugu (in Telugu). Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  9. ^ Singh, Jatinder (1 February 2022). "Akhanda final box office update; Balakrishna - Boyapati film is True Blue BLOCKBUSTER". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Akhanda : అఖండ మరో రికార్డ్.. 150 కోట్ల క్లబ్‌లో బాలయ్య." News18. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022. Telugu
  11. ^ "53RD IFFI 2022 official". Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Akhanda child artist: 'అఖండ' సినిమాలో బాలయ్య కూతురుగా నటించిన ఈ చిన్నారి బ్యాగ్రౌండ్ తెలుసా..?". News18 Telugu (in Telugu). Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Actor Balakrishna upbeat about his third film with director Boyapati Srinu". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 12 June 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 December 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. ^ "Balakrishna's next with Boyapati Srinu put on hold?". The News Minute. 25 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Balakrishna-Boyapati Srinu film titled Akhanda". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Sayyeshaa to team up with Nandamuri Balakrishna in Boyapati's next Telugu film". Hindustan Times. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  17. ^ Kanoj, Priyanka (22 February 2021). "Balakrishna's makeover for his upcoming movie is to be a huge surprise to his fans". ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  18. ^ "బాలయ్య సినిమా నుంచి ఆ ఇద్దరూ ఔట్‌!". Sakshi (in Telugu). 6 March 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  19. ^ "బాలయ్య ఓ పవర్‌హౌస్‌!". Namasthe Telangana. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Balakrishna is a super-hero: Akhanda fight master Stun Siva". ragalahari.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  21. ^ Arikatla, Venkat (6 November 2020). "Heroine Removed From Balakrishna – Boyapati Film!". greatandhra.com. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  22. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (22 November 2021). "Pragya Jaiswal: I took up 'Akhanda' with the trust I have in director Boyapati Srinu". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Akhanda: Pragya Jaiswal shares her experience working with Nandamuri Balakrishna". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Meet Raamz, the man behind Balakrishna's intense avatar in Akhanda – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  25. ^ "బాలయ్య కొత్త చిత్రం షూటింగ్‌ స్టార్ట్‌". Sakshi (in Telugu). 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Balakrishna resumes shooting for 'Akhanda' in Hyderabad". The News Minute. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Balakrishna's 'Akhanda' resumes shoot". Telangana Today. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Climax shoot of Nandamuri Balakrishna and Pragya Jaiswal starrer Akhanda in progress". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  29. ^ "Balakrishna, Boyapati Srinu shoot Akhanda climax in Villupuram". dtNext.in. 24 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Nandamuri Balakrishna shoots 'Akhanda' climax in Tamil Nadu". mid-day.com. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Nandamuri Balakrishna to jet off to Goa for his next schedule of 'Akhanda' where he will shoot for songs". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  32. ^ Vyas (13 September 2021). "Balakrishna heads to Goa". thehansindia.com. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  33. ^ "Nandamuri Balakrishna, Boyapati Srinu, Dwaraka Creations' Akhanda Shooting Wrapped Up". industryhit.com. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  34. ^ "'Akhanda' first single out: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pragya Jaiswal's 'Adigaa Adigaa' is a magical melody – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Title Song of Nandamuri Balakrishna's Akhanda to be Released on Nov 8". News18. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  36. ^ Arikatla, Venkat (27 November 2021). "Jai Balayya From Akhanda: Full Dose Mass Number". greatandhra.com. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  37. ^ Parashar, Shivam (1 February 2021). "Balakrishna and Boyapati Sreenu's 3rd collaboration to release on May 28". India Today. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  38. ^ "Dil Raju to distribute Balakrishna's 'Akhanda' in Nizam: Report". Deccan Herald. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  39. ^ "'Akhanda' Tamil version to release this Friday". The Times of India.
  40. ^ "'Akhanda' to 'Ala Vaikunthapuramulo': Five Telugu blockbusters that were dubbed in Tamil". The Times of India. 28 January 2022.
  41. ^ Vyas (19 April 2021). "Hotstar acquires digital rights of 'Akhanda'". thehansindia.com. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  42. ^ "Akhanda OTT Release Date Confirmed: Deets Inside". Sakshi Post. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  43. ^ "Akhanda : నటసింహం అఖండ డిజిటల్ రైట్స్ దక్కించుకుంది ఎవరో తెలుసా." TV9 Telugu (in Telugu). 4 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  44. ^ @DisneyPlusHS (13 January 2022). "Ee sankranti season lo mee gadapa munduki vacchestunnadu. Hear "#Akhanda roar ! #AkhandaOnHotstar streaming from Jan 21st, 6pm. #AkhandaSankranthiSambaralu #NandamuriBalakrishna #Boyapatisreenu" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  45. ^ "Akhanda Shatters Records on OTT". Sakshi Post. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  46. ^ "New Trailer Released Ahead of 50 Days of Akhanda". News18. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  47. ^ "Akhanda movie Review & Rating {3/5}". The Hans India. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  48. ^ "Review : Akhanda – Balayya's mass punch". 123telugu.com. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  49. ^ Akhanda Movie Review: Strictly for Balakrishna's fans, retrieved 3 December 2021
  50. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (2 December 2021). "'Akhanda' movie review: An ultra high decibel roar". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  51. ^ "Akhanda review: Nandamuri Balakrishna film is an assault on the senses". The Indian Express. 3 December 2021.
  52. ^ "Akhanda Movie Review: Balakrishna punches the goons, this film punches the audience". The New Indian Express. 3 December 2021.
  53. ^ Vyas (3 December 2021). "Day One: Akhanda Collections". thehansindia.com. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  54. ^ "Akhanda box office day 1: Nandamuri Balakrishna film earns Rs 23 cr, exceeds expectations". The Indian Express. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  55. ^ "Akhanda 1st day WW collections: 'అఖండ' ఫస్ట్ డే ఏరియా వైజ్ కలెక్షన్స్.. బాక్సాఫీస్‌ను ఊచకోత కోసిన బాలకృష్ణ." News18 Telugu (in Telugu). Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  56. ^ "Vaartha Online Edition ముఖ్యాంశాలు". Vaartha. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  57. ^ "Balakrishna's 'Akhanda' grosses $500,000 in the US – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  58. ^ "Balakrishna's 'Akhanda' grosses $500,000 in the US". Sify. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  59. ^ "Balakrishna's Akhanda Takes Box Office by Storm, Rakes in Over Rs 44 Cr in 4 Days". News18. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  60. ^ "అఖండ మూవీతో 100 కోట్ల మార్క్‌ను అందుకోబోతున్న బాలయ్య | Prajasakti". Prajasakti (in Telugu). 9 December 2021.
  61. ^ "Akhanda Box Office Collection: 'అఖండ'జోరు.. సెంచరీ కొట్టిన బాలయ్య". Sakshi (in Telugu). 12 December 2021.
  62. ^ Today, Telangana (20 January 2022). "Balakrishna's 'Akhanda' completes 50 days in theatres successfully". Telangana Today. Retrieved 2 May 2022.

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