Akira Delivers Solid Action Punch Along With Mediocre Storytelling
‘Akira’ Delivers Solid Action Punch Along With Mediocre Storytelling
A.R. Murugadoss and the Fox Star team likely have the best intentions at heart in trying to turn this stereotypically male story into a powerhouse female one, but the flaws are in the carrying out process.
In the last few years, it seems that more and more Hindi filmmakers are slowly but surely attempting to create cinema that features smarter and stronger female characters. In 2014, Alia Bhatt had “Highway,” Priyanka Chopra played real-life boxing champion “Mary Kom,” Rani Mukherji showed “Mardaani,” Sonam Kapoor was “Khoobsurat” and Kangana Ranaut made the world fall in love with her in “Queen.” 2015 was no slouch either, with Deepika Padukone’s “Piku” and “Bajirao Mastani,” Anushka Sharma producing and starring in “NH10,” and Kalki Koechlin shining in “Margarita with a Straw.”
Sonakshi Sinha’s “Akira” now joins the mix, but while it definitely features more action than her predecessors’ cinematic ventures, its execution doesn’t quite pack the same kind of punch. The film, directed by A.R. Murugadoss of “Ghajini” fame, is an adaptation of the Tamil film “Mouna Guru,” and though the genders of the main characters are switched here, the story is basically the same.
Sinha’s Akira has been taught from a young age to defend herself, even in the most frightening of times. She takes this lesson to heart throughout her life, but it sometimes gets her into great trouble. As a child, she is sent to juvenile detention after a fight where her self-defense against an acid attack goes horribly wrong for her attacker. When she attends college more than a decade later, she once again uses her fighting skills to defend herself against bullies at her hostel and during protests against the police.
Unfortunately, as these things usually play out, she is the victim of mistaken identity and soon becomes the target of an extremely crooked and vicious cop, ACP Rane, who has no qualms about killing people—and in fact quite enjoys doing so. Akira must defend herself from Rane, his goons, and public opinion when, at one point, she is suspected of being mentally ill as she tries to shed light on Rane and his cohort’s corrupt ways. Only one police detective is willing to help her, SP Rabiya (played by Konkona Sen Sharma), but even she has restrictions on how much she can assist Akira.
A.R. Murugadoss and the Fox Star team likely have the best intentions at heart in trying to turn this stereotypically male story into a powerhouse female one, but the flaws are in the carrying out process. For one, the story itself is an extremely old one. The film tackles a few important issues, mainly the problem of acid attacks against women in India. But those issues are quickly addressed and then ignored.
What the film does choose to focus on, unfortunately, is the more cliched elements of its story. Akira’s trouble begins with mistaken identity but quickly escalates to Akira becoming the victim of mental and physical torture at a mental institution. She is made into a scapegoat by the very police officer that is supposed to be helping her. These are very 1970s and 1980s-style problems that have been outdated for some time.
Despite the troublesome story (especially in the second half of the film), Sinha still deserves high praise for attempting a character much stronger than her previous roles in most of her other films—though she does continue to deserve unique praise for her beautiful work in 2013’s “Lootera.” She rises above the old-fashioned subject material and makes a strong case for why heroines should get the starring role in more films. She tackles action with a great balance of charisma and grit, and she works hard to elevate even the more corny and silly climactic moments of her torture and sacrifice.
Unfortunately, Sharma doesn’t quite make much of an impression. Her role is beyond thankless as the only good police officer in a sea of corrupt officials, and yet she essentially has no power or clout to make any real change in the film. Sharma is such a phenomenal actress that the part is not only unworthy, but more than that, it seems to be a supreme waste of her time.
But the real, pleasant surprise of the film is Anurag Kashyap’s role as the villainous ACP Rane. Some of you may recognize Kashyap’s name, though not as an actor. Kashyap has been a critically acclaimed Bollywood film director for many years with such fantastic films as “DevD,” “Black Friday,” and “Gangs of Wasseypur, Parts 1 and 2.” He chews and swallows the scenery and in every frame, the audience can be sure Kashyap is having the time of his life with this role.
Kashyap is just one of a long line of directors who have recently taken up acting as well, from Karan Johar’s work in Kashyap’s own “Bombay Velvet” to Prakash Jha playing a crooked cop (funnily enough) in his own film “Jai Gangaajal.” And let’s not forget that “Dil Chahta Hai” director Farhan Akhtar is now an established and acclaimed actor. Considering how much a director can work with an actor to get the perfect performance, it makes perfect sense that directors themselves can then translate those skills into their own great acting performances.
Long story short, “Akira” is another in a long line of films dedicated to finally giving strong women the starring role. But Murugadoss should have spent more time putting the film’s story into the 21st century along with his gender-swapped main character—then “Akira” could have been something really special.
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