Akhanda

Did You Know?

• The first single from the soundtrack, 'Adigaa Adigaa', was released on 18 September 2021.
• The sequel Akhanda 2: Thaandavam began production on 12 October 2024 and released on 12 December 2025.
• The film won the Telangana state Gaddar Award for Second Best Feature Film.

Plot

In a dense forest, the Indian Army hunts a brigand named Gajendra Sahu. Gajendra is gravely injured but rescued by the head of a spiritual organization called Maha Rudra Peetam. The chieftain preaches that God exists in nature and that it must be protected. Angered by people worshipping him more than the truth, Gajendra kills the chieftain and his followers and begins exploiting nature. Before dying, the chieftain warns him never to challenge fate. In Anantapur, a couple is blessed with twin sons, one stillborn. An Aghora appears, saying one child represents nature and the other is a destructive force born of Shiva's wrath. He takes the stillborn child to Kashi, where it miraculously comes back to life and is raised by Aghoras. Years later, the surviving twin, Murali Krishna, becomes a powerful arbitrator who eliminates factionalism. Saranya Bachupally, a District Collector, clashes with Murali but later falls in love with him. Meanwhile, gangster Varadarajulu runs illegal uranium mining in a protected forest, supported by Gajendra. Saranya orders a secret investigation. Murali and Saranya marry and have a daughter. Children fall mysteriously ill due to the uranium mining. Murali confronts Varadarajulu, but Gajendra plants a bomb at a hospital, killing several people. Murali is falsely implicated and arrested.

Production

The film marks the third collaboration between Balakrishna and Boyapati Srinu after Simha (2010) and Legend (2014). It was formally launched at a private event in Hyderabad in December 2019, tentatively titled BB3 and NBK106. The official title Akhanda was unveiled in April 2021. Sayyeshaa was cast in November 2020 but left the project for an unknown reason. Anjali was also reported to be part of the film. Action director duo Ram-Laxman left after working on a few action scenes and were replaced by Stunt Silva. Stunt Silva stated he allocated 80 days for the film, with up to 65 days spent on mounting action sequences. Initially Prayaga Martin was cast for the lead role, and a few scenes were shot with her, but she was later replaced by Pragya Jaiswal in November 2020. Pragya joined production in December 2020 and was part of a 33-day first schedule shot in Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu and Goa. She said her prep time was little and she took references from real-life lady cops.

Release

Originally slated for a May 2021 release, the film was postponed due to the pandemic and finally came out in December of that year. A Tamil-dubbed version followed in January 2022, with a Hindi-dubbed version arriving a year later in January 2023. JioHotstar secured the digital distribution rights for ₹15 crore, while Star Maa bought the satellite rights. The film debuted on Hotstar in January 2022, becoming the most-watched regional film on OTT platforms, and had its television premiere on Star Maa that April. The Hindi dub's satellite rights were acquired by Zee Cinema.

Reception

A reviewer from The Hans India rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, calling it Balakrishna's one-man show and a mass treat, but critical of the predictable plot and screenplay. Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India wrote that Boyapati sets up an interesting premise but gets carried away with mass moments that do not serve the story. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu echoed this, stating the film gets tiresome post-intermission and the high-voltage background score does not help. Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express called the film an assault on the senses, critical of using spirituality to justify slaughter. Ram Venkat Srikar of Cinema Express wrote that logic dies a brutal death before the title appears. At the box office, the film collected ₹20.8 crore in Telugu states on its opening day and ₹29.60 crore worldwide. By the second day it collected ₹44 crore, and after four days ₹66.7 crore. By the end of its run, it grossed ₹133.20 crore worldwide and completed 50 days in 103 centres.