BOTTOM LINE
Mega Bore
OUR RATING
2/5
CENSOR
2h 34m, ‘U/A’ Certified.
What Is the Film About?
The temple town of Dharmasthali is under the tyrannical rule of Basava (Sonu Sood). Acharya (Chiranjeevi) comes unassuming in the village, which has no opposition to him. How does Acharya create fear in Basava? What is his connection with Siddha (Ram Charan) is the movie’s basic story.
Performances
Megastar Chiranjeevi is known for his inimitable style and energy on screen, no matter what role he essays. Similarly, Koratala Siva is known for his unique hero characterisation, as seen in all his movies. In Acharya, Chiranjeevi moulds him to become a Koratala Siva hero. The result is we see Megastar devoid of his usual energy and free flow.
Chiranjeevi is seen playing a passive-aggressive character in Acharya. The intensity is there (visible in fights), but the energy is missing. When it meets a routine and predictable storyline, there is hardly any impact at all. It feels as if Chiranjeevi is moving from one action block to another with nothing exciting and no fun to do in between. What we have in the end is a forgettable outing from the star in a long time.
Coming to Ram Charan, he appears in the second half and takes us back to the Racha trilogy days. It is not a bad performance but an utterly routine act. One can see and feel the difference between his recent outings and Acharya. It is definitely not an outing to remember especially coming after the likes of Rangasthalam and RRR.
Analysis
Four films old, Koratala Siva, directs Acharya. Within a short time frame, he has created a unique niche with his story, writing and presentation making him stand out from the crowd.
Acharya takes back Koratala Siva to his Mirchi days. It is mainly due to the utterly predictable storyline lacking freshness. Remember Mirchi was a done to death plot dealing with a never-ending clash between two villages. What made the difference was the presentation and the writing. The hero looked very trendy, and the mass elements worked exceptionally. Koratala Siva tries the same with Acharya but falters on the script.
The story of Acharya is as predictable as it comes. We know from the introduction of Dharmasthali and Basava where it’s headed. A ‘hero’ enters the space to save the day. Chiranjeevi is presented in a sleek avatar and does fabulous action. However, when it comes to the writing, Koratala Siva fails, and with it, the element of freshness disappears.
An understated Chiranjeevi with no depth in writing, a familiar story, and formulaic making makes for a below-par first half. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that it tests patience. The connecting tissue between the likeable action sequences is missing. As a result, one is never really invested in the proceedings, even when heavy-duty action happens.
Towards the interval, there is some momentum and rise of hope keeping in mind that the second half will see the presence of Ram Charan. One genuinely hopes for the building of some energy and force in the second half.
Unfortunately, the second half goes further down the drain. There is hardly anything memorable, be it writing-wise or performance-wise. We have more problems thrown our way and hero fighting through them and passing the message of ‘Dharma’.
Still, one waits patiently, hoping that there are combo scenes between Chiranjeevi and Charan yet to come that will provide some respite. Sadly, Koratala Siva fails to make use of them. Barring the brief bit in the ‘Bhanjara’ song, there is no worthwhile moment featuring the father and son duo.
The fun banter between Chiranjeevi and Charan during the fight sequence shows just how clueless Koratala Siva is in using the star pair. It is ridiculous in idea and terrible in execution.
The climax is lengthy, and emotions make it look like a never-ending saga going on and on. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one decides to walkout at the point not waiting for the movie to finish. It is that tiring and patience-testing.
Overall, Acharya is undoubtedly the weakest work of Koratala Siva by miles. He fails to use the stars at his disposal and gives them a lifeless, dull, and tiring cliched action drama. Even the die-hard fans will find it challenging to sit through the movie in its entirety.
Performances by Others Actors
Apart from Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, there is hardly any role worth talking about. Everything is half baked. It is no wonder that Kajal’s part was chopped off entirely. Pooja Hegde, too, doesn’t have much to do apart from appearing as the love interest of Charan.
Sonu Sood is the main villain in Acharya. He does his usual and is alright. Kishore, seen in a small role, is adequate. Vennela Kishore, Nassar and others are wasted in inconsequential roles.
Music and Other Departments?
The music by Mani Sharma is pretty ordinary. Barring ‘Laahe Laahe’ and ‘Bhanjara’, there is nothing worth mentioning. The senior musician has failed big time in his comeback trail with the biggest opportunity. But, the music is not the biggest disappointment; it is the background score which the musician specialises in. Maybe it’s the last-minute rush with post-production or any other technical issue; the BGM is underwhelming and fails to lift the proceedings. There is no high whatsoever.
Thiru’s cinematography is neat, capturing the forest locales and lush greenery. The colours, with their dark hues, bring a unique texture to the proceedings. Navin Nooli’s editing is alright. The VFX work is poor and gives a tacky vibe to the proceedings in parts. So much has been said about the artwork, but there is hardly any feeling of a lived village. We can feel the artificial environment all through.
Highlights?
Banjara Song
A Couple Of Action Blocks
Drawbacks?
Predictable Story
Routine Emotions
Formulaic Boring Narrative
Poor Writing
Alternative Take
Like many other films before, Acharya itself feels like a rework of another language movie. In this case, it seems to be loosely inspired by the Bollywood movie, Farishtay.
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Acharya Movie Review by M9News
Final Report:
Koratala Siva fails spectacularly! Despite having a rare combo and two big stars at his disposal, he fails to give a half-decent moment involving the two. An outdated story and poor writing make Acharya difficult to sit through a movie in its entirety.
— ‘Bhale Bhale Banjara’ doesn’t have crazy visuals, but the Chiru-Charan duo pull off a visual feast with their simple yet graceful steps.
— Acharya second half started. Siddha (Ram Charan) is a big believer for ‘Dharma’.
First Half Report:
Barring a few blocks, the first half of Acharya is patience-testing due to a lack of aggression from Chiranjeevi. Much heavy lifting has to be done in the second half, with the job falling squarely on Ram Charan now.
– Ram Charan makes a very brief intro as Siddha. That’s all for now.
— Temple town Dharmasthali is under the atrocities of Basava (Sonu Sood). Acharya started to straighten up things.
— Laahe Laahe is the first song in Acharya. Megastar’s graceful steps do the trick for the typical Manisharma melody number.
— Acharya takes off in Dharmasthali. Mahesh Babu opens the show with his voiceover.
— Acharya streaming partner: Amazon Prime Video
Acharya Review, U.S. Premiere updates will begin soon. Stay tuned.
The long-delayed Megastar Chiranjeevi’s film Acharya is finally all set to hit the screens on April 29th. The movie’s speciality is the first time combination with son Ram Charan under Koratala Siva’s direction.
Usually, Acharya will be seen as a blockbuster outing on the strength of the combination alone. However, the delay and release of Pan-India movies before it have taken away a lot of sheen. Acharya is now looking at a reasonably good opening at best.
What’s up for grabs for Acharya is all related to its long run. It means the talk it gets becomes critical. If it’s positive it has every chance to be the new non- RRR hit. It also means a hat trick 100Cr share films for Megastar Chiranjeevi.
However, the sentiment of Rajamouli heroes comes in place as almost everyone has had a failure after scoring success with the star director. Charan had an Orange if one remembers. Can he overcome the sentiment with Acharya needs to be seen.
In short, it is the success streak of Chiranjeevi and Koratala Siva versus the sentiment of Rajamouli. Acharya’s biggest USP is therefore the focus through and through.
Mani Sharma provides music to Acharya. Matinee Entertainment and Konidela Productions jointly produce the biggie on a big scale. Pooja Hegde will be seen in an extended supporting role opposite Ram Charan.
As always, M9News will give you a ‘First-On-Net’ Acharya review genuinely and honestly. Watch this space for our updates.
