Akira Review

AR Murugadoss is one of the biggest directors down south and he has made quite a name for himself in the Hindi Film Industry too, delivering big hits like Ghajini and Holiday. This time he’s chosen to go with someone like Sonakshi Sinha as the hero of his movie Akira, a gutsy move. Does it pay off? Is Akira as entertaining as Murugadoss’ other films? Is Sonakshi able to convince us in her role? Let’s find out now.

Story: Akira (Sonakshi) is kind. How does the director convey the kindness? By showing that Akira treats disabled people very well. Old trope but it works. But don’t let her kindness fool you. From childhood she has been a fierce girl and can’t tolerate crime against women. She keeps getting into scuffles. So her family sends her to Mumbai to stay out of trouble. But here she gets into a bigger mess with a high ranking police officer (Anurag Kashyap). Her life is threatened. Will she be able to fight her way out of this trouble? The twisted climax has the answers.

Review: Okay, first things first. Why would you send someone to Mumbai to keep them out of trouble? Why not send them to the Himalayas or some smaller and more peaceful town? AR Murugadoss uses familiar tropes which have appeared in his own movies before. But the reason Akira works is because he knows how to tie it all together and present it in a neat manner. Yes, the heavy handedness gets a bit too much in the second half and the twists keep getting bizarre, but there seems to be a method to the madness. It never leaves the realm of probability. Akira flows well, and doesn’t have a lot of boring sequences even when the director over-explains situations.

Akira is complemented by its decent action choreography and production design. The costume design is contemporary and the editing is good. The story could have been told in a 100 minute film but this is Bollywood afterall. The background score is too loud and is symptomatic of the problems with commercial masala films. Akira doesn’t boast of the strongest soundtrack either.

Acting: Sonakshi Sinha gives it her best shot as the crime-fighting hero in female form. She (or her stunt double) carry off the action scenes ably. There are no hiccups and she does decently with her emotional scenes too. Anurag Kashyap almost steals the movie. It would have been ironic if in a movie directed by AR Murugadoss, the best work was done by someone like Anurag Kashyap. But he genuinely impresses as the big baddie. He is menacing. Kudos to the director for going with someone like Kashyap as the main antagonist. Konkona Sen Sharma appears as a pregnant cop, and justifies her selection. She appears sincere and incorruptible.

Conclusion: Akira is not a movie devoid of flaws. It is not a movie which doesn’t go the stereotypical way. But there’s something to be admired about a movie which decides to cast an actress as the literal action hero of the movie. They could have easily gone with a young actor which would have been the financially secure thing to do. Akira flows well, ties together all the story threads and manages to entertain the audience throughout its entire duration. If you don’t mind an entertaining action drama, then Akira should be a good choice this weekend. But masochists please stay away.

Pros:

• Sonakshi and Anurag Kashyap
• Action choreography
• Decision to make a movie with an actress as the action hero
• The movie flows really well and knots are tied together

Cons:

• Background score is too loud
• The twists can be construed as too bizarre

Rating: