Akhanda 2 Review: A Boyapati Srinu Film Strictly For Balayya Fans

Nandamuri Balakrishna AKA NBK AKA Balayya is a Telugu star who is known for films that have high-octane action, powerful dialogues, strong characterisation, and mythic or historical elements.

Akhanda, directed by Boyapati Srinu which released in 2021, became a superhit thanks to his fans because it all these key elements in abundance. In Akhanda, Balayya played the roles of twin brothers Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora and Murali Krishna who get separated at birth. Fast forward to 2025, the Boyapati Srinu-Balayya team is back with Akhanda 2: Thaandavam, the fantasy-action sequel to the 2021 film with new actors and music by Thaman S.

In Akhanda 2: Thaandavam, Balakrishna once again dons the dual roles of an older Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora and older Murali Krishna with a plot that has now moved to international territories. The movie begins with director Boyapati Srinu shouting action and we are quickly transported to the Indo-Tibet border where there is a war brewing.

A Chinese general (Sangay Tsheltrim) is plotting ways to wreak havoc on India and he wants to find India's weakness to exploit. He learns that to hit India at its root will destroy the country and what is its root? India's faith in God and Sanatana Dharma.

The neighbouring evil forces believe that by destroying India's spiritual core and cosmic balance, they will weaken the country and make it crumble. They launch a bio-war during the Maha Kumbh Mela where crores of devotees gather to take a dip in the holy Ganga. What results is widespread deaths, calamity and national crisis like never-seen-before.

The DRDO is called in to develop an antidote for a deadly virus and Murali Krishna's daughter, Janani (Harshaali Malhotra), who is at the forefront of this vital research, takes centre stage. Janani is aided and mentored by an army officer (Samyuktha) who believes that saving the country is more important than saving one's own life and she does exactly that.

As Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora, Balayya takes on the evil forces by embodying fierce divine energy as a powerful supernatural Aghora warrior. He confronts these emerging threats, which include gangsters, sorcerers and armies, to protect humanity and uphold dharma (righteousness).

This role is central to the film's theme and he is portrayed as a cosmic guardian figure whose presence is steeped in mythic and spiritual undertones, as we see from the powerful Shiva mantras that are chanted and played in the BGM. Throughout the film he delivers powerful dialogues about Sanatana Dharma and Indian cultural greatness, and he not only gets into fights physically but he also takes on the symbolic forces that try to break the country's spiritual core.

On the other hand, as Hindupur MLA Murali Krishna, Balakrishna essays a role that is very much aligned to his real-life position of MLA. His character mouths dialogues that add the important layer of political and social relevance to the narrative. However, the role of Murali Krishna, who displays emotion and social responsibility in Akhanda 2, is quite limited as is his screen presence. On the whole, the film's narrative weaves high-octane action, mythic symbolism, ritualistic elements, and Balakrishna's commanding on-screen presence into a story of destiny, devotion, and cosmic struggle. But the movie doesn't follow any logic and it's only the spiritual aspect that drives the movie forward rather than the story itself.

Director Boyapati Srinu has used Nandamuri Balakrishna's larger-than-life persona very effectively in the film in the role of Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora. As Akhanda, Balayya's character, actions and words are crafted to showcase divine fury, extreme spirituality and mass action. He's a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva who is known for his Thaandavam (a form of classical dance) which embodies the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction.

In Akhanda 2, Lord Shiva is a guiding force whose divine energy manifests through Akhanda, blending spirituality with mass-action cinema. And how does the director manage to do that? We see Akhanda take on the villains with his trishul which kills 20 people at a time and takes down helicopters; bend guns; dismiss new weapons hurled at him every second without flinching and more. The action scenes are only meant to be mass moments sans logic to elevate Balayya's image and his fans will love this.

On the whole, the entire film seems to rest more on spirituality and Sanatana Dharma with some random bio war and geopolitics thrown in to give it some relevance. The film doesn't veer towards patriotism and jingoism, and neither does the audience feel any emotional connect to any of the characters.

Nor is there great emotional connect even between the characters. The father-daughter relationship and mother-son relationship have been touched upon fleetingly but it doesn't do much for the story. The army officers, the government officers, the villains and the enemies all come together to add more masala and conflict to this thin storyline that goes haywire most of the time.

Though there are many characters in this film, it's a Nandamuri Balakrishna film all the way and that is perhaps what is intended. Samyuktha comes in for a very brief role and doesn't have much to do in the film. It is Aadhi Pinisetty who stands out among the others and makes a good impact despite less screen time.

Akhanda 2: Thaandavam is a Boyapati Srinu-Balayya universe which thrives on calamity, chaos and plenty of chants which is meant strictly for Balayya fans.