Movie Review: Akhil - The Power of Jua

Rating: 3

Cast: Akhil Akkineni, Sayyesha Saigal, Rajendra Prasad, Brahmanandam, Mahesh Manjrekar, Vennela Kishore, Saptagiri, Madhu Nandan and Others.

Songs: SS Thaman & Anup Rubens

Background Score: Manisharma

Producer: Nithin

Story: Veligonda Srinivas

Screenplay & Dialogues: Kona Venkat

Direction: VV Vinayak

Akhil Akkineni attained a Star status even before his launch pad could hit the screens. Thanks to his background, handsome looks & heroics on the Cricket field! The hype over his maiden flick has taken his craze to the next level. What 'Akhil - The Power of Jua' is all about? How good is Akhil as an actor? Let's have a look here...

Synopsis:

Akhil (Akhil Akkineni), a happy-go-lucky guy who earns money through fights, happens to see Medical Student Divya (Sayyesha Saigal) and its like love at first sight for him. Then, He tries his best to impress her & her family with the help of a Doctor (Rajendra Prasad). Story shifts to Europe where a German Scientist aims to rule the World by getting hold of 'Jua' which is protecting the Globe from powerful UV Rays. This is when Divya gets kidnapped by African gangster Mambo. In what way  Divya & Jua are connected? Why did Mambo kidnap her? Has Akhil saved his soulmate fighting all the odds?

Performances:

Akhil Akkineni makes a confident debut. He dances superbly, especially the introduction number & Akkineni song. He does fights with utmost ease and his energy levels are mesmerizing. Terrific screen presence is his biggest asset & watching Akhil on screen will be a feast for Akkineni Fans on any day. All said, Akhil need to work on his histrionics and only then he could become a complete actor.

Sayyesha Saigal looks gorgeous and performs decently even though she has got very little to do. She is a very good dancer and that's why she was able to match Akhil in the songs.

Rajendra Prasad does justice to his role. Mahesh Manjrekar was wasted. Brahmanandam as Johnson & Johnson and Vennela Kishore have generated few laughs. Saptagiri as Pothe Babu Rao & Jayaprakash Reddy were ineffective. The Actor who played the role of African Goon does well.

Pros:

Akhil's Dances & Fights

Cinematography

Production Values

Cons:

Visual Effects

Second Half

Technicalities:

Songs by SS Thaman & Anup Rubens were high on energy and offered good scope for dances. Manisharma's mark is missing in background score but he tried something refreshing this time. Amol Rathod's Camera Work is topnotch. Story penned by Veligonda Srinivas is wafer-thin. Dialogues by Kona Venkat worked big time in scenes featuring Brahmanandam. Editing is crisp. VV Vinayak succeeded in presenting Akhil as a Mass Hero and left a mark of his own on the project. But, More focus on Story & Screenplay could have done wonders. Production Values are lavish and the grandeur could be seen in every frame.

Analysis:

Usually, Makers opt for a formulaic script while launching a debutante as they were a safe bet. In case of Akhil Akkineni, VV Vinayak choose a complicated story and the Young Lad was presented as a Super Hero who saves the World from a major disaster. In addition, He added all the commercial ingredients one would expect from a launch pad. Upon watching Akhil, One gets the feeling that Director should have worked more on the story as lack of detailing and emotional depth proved costly.

Scenes based on 'Jua' in the very beginning of the movie arouse curiosity among the audience. Vinayak uses all of his experience as a mass director to make the introduction fight & song look amazing on screen. Then, Heroine's Entry and Few Funny scenes follow. Few scenes of Akhil & Rajendra Prasad bring the comic relief. Even though the Spain episode isn't pleasing, The huge action block in Interval is impressive and Akhil's feats were really stunning.

Entry of Brahmanandam as Johnson & Johnson in Second Half given the much needed momentum. Combo scenes of Akhil-Brahmi-Vennela Kishore keep the viewers in splits. However, The episodes based on 'Jua' weren't appreciable in the latter half and may be Vinayak should have shot them in a effective manner. The sequence where Akhil gets hold of 'Jua' escaping from killer fishes has been shot well. At the same time, The helicopter scenes in the Climax and fight with forest animals are a big letdown.

The biggest advantage 'Akhil - The Power of Jua' have is its short run time (2 hours 10 minutes) and that's why audience don't get bored. Visual Effects of the movie haven't met the expectations. Nag's cameo in Akkineni Song will be treat for fans. On a whole, 'Akhil' would have been a much better product had if the comedy quotient is high in first half and the 'Jua' scenes were effective in second half.
 
Bottom Line: True Potential of Akhil!