Acharya review: An out-dated mega drama

“Acharya” starring Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan is one of the most anticipated and awaited movies of Tollywood this season. The movie has got so much hype and craze around it in the recent past as the duo of father and son acting together for the first time in a full-length movie. Koratala Siva joining hands with Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan came up after 3 years from the date of announcement. Living up to all the mega craze the movie has in the last few days, ‘Acharya’ is getting a huge response from the audience after its release. Let’s see how the film fares at box office.

Story

Dharmasthali is a temple town known for its divinity and culture of protecting God. Basava (Sonu Sood) takes control over Dharmasthali with his cruel ruling. Acharya (Chiranjeevi) visits the temple town, goes against Basava and tries to save the people of temple town from injustice. How Acharya is connected to Siddha (Ram Charan) and how he saves the temple town is what the rest of the story does.

Analysis

Director Koratala Siva succeeded in taking the audience into the story within 15 minutes. But the hope of grandeur hero introductions and high moments keep the audience waiting in their seats. Unfortunately, this does not happen. Mega Star’s soft introduction and the following slow pace scenes just do not meet any expectations. An item song that entertains masses with Regina & Chiranjeevi and done with the first half. A good entry in the interval scene gives hope that Ram Charan as Sidda will uplift the movie in the second half which did not happen.

The characters and some dialogues are pathetic. Padaghattam word is used in every scene which irritates the audience sitting in their seats.. Chiranjeevi doesn’t have a platform to perform up to his mettle. Ram Charan‘s character is not a cameo or a 30-minute gig – pretty much the entire second half. The scenes between Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan relieve the audience from the boring narration.

On a final note, ‘Acharya’ movie is an outdated story and is further ruined by an unimpressive narration from Koratala Siva. Excepts some scenes and songs, rest of the film punishes audience.

Performances:

Megastar Chiranjeevi is well known for his own style, swag, and screen presence. His body language and dialogue delivery in all his films usually has his own style. But ‘Acharya’ offers the audience a completely different and unique Chiru on screen. The actor completely surrenders to the role created by Koratala Siva and tries to give best to it. Chiranjeevi is so involved in the character which makes the Megastar look even better on screen. A Mega fan will surely enjoy the trademark mannerisms and dance moves of the Megastar.

Ram Charan delivers another strong and impactful performance after “RRR”. Siddha in “Acharya” is equally strong to Rama Raju. He is the show stealer with his intense performance. As said during the promotions by Chiru and Siva, it is so apt to pick Ram Charan as Siddha, and the same was delivered by Charan too letting the audience feel the same. The emotional bonding between Charan and Chiru off screen reflected so perfectly on screen. Pooja Hegde can be seen as the love interest of Ram Charan. She looks gorgeous and well suitable to the character Neelambari. Pooja’s chemistry with Charan looks so fresh on-screen. Kajal Aggarwal’s character has been completely chopped off as said during the promotions. Sonu Sood as the antagonist did his job perfectly. Satya Dev’s guest appearance gives goosebumps to the audience.

Technicalities:

Screenwriting and the presentation of the lead characters are the two major strengths of Koratala Siva’s films always but he missed both with ‘Acharya’. The characters Acharya and Siddha are the two strong pillars of the movie but not executed perfectly. The storyline is also very predictable

Mani Sharma needs to be complimented a lot for making a perfect comeback with his most hit delivering partner Chiru. Mani once again proved that his combination with Chiru is always a blockbuster one. The songs ‘Laahe Laahe’ and ‘Bhale Bhale Banjara’ came out very nice. The background score should be appreciated. Cinematographer Thiru captured forest scenes and temple scenes so beautifully. The artwork needs a special mention for the temple town set which takes the audience into the world of Dharmasthali. Mahesh Babu’s voice-over added soul to the story narrative at the beginning of the movie. Superstar narrates the back story and takes us into the world of Dharamasthali.

Positives:

Chiranjeevi & Ram Charan’s presence

Bhale Bhale Banjara Song

Negatives:

Weak story and narration

Predictable scenes