Akhanda 2: Thaandavam (2025) – Full Movie Review, Details, Plot Breakdown & Verdict

Release Status (as of December 8, 2025):
Officially postponed due to Madras High Court stay order. Paid premieres on December 4 and leaked full prints have already screened across Telugu states and overseas. This review is based on complete viewing of the film from those shows.

Genre: Mythological Fantasy Action Drama
Language: Telugu (dubbed versions ready in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam)
Runtime: 2 hours 44 minutes (164 minutes)
**Certificate: U/A
Budget: ₹250 crore
Director & Writer: Boyapati Srinu
Music: Thaman S
Lead Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna (triple role), Samyuktha Menon, Pragya Jaiswal, Aadhi Pinisetty, Harshaali Malhotra, Kabir Duhan Singh

What Exactly Is Akhanda 2: Thaandavam?

Four years after the 2021 blockbuster Akhanda turned Nandamuri Balakrishna into a living deity for millions, Boyapati Srinu returns with the sequel that fans have been praying for. Thaandavam (meaning “the cosmic dance of destruction”) is not just a film; it is a full-blown mythological war cry packaged as a mass commercial entertainer. The film takes the spiritual-action template of the original and inflates it with a ₹250 crore budget, 3D VFX, Himalayan locations, Georgia schedules, and a climax that literally attempts to recreate Lord Shiva’s Tandava on screen.

Who Will Love This Film?

• Die-hard Nandamuri Balakrishna fans
• Lovers of larger-than-life mass moments, elevation scenes, and whistle-worthy dialogues
• Audiences who enjoyed the original Akhanda, Veera Simha Reddy, or Bhagavanth Kesari
• Viewers seeking devotional cinema mixed with high-octane action

Cast Performance Highlights

Nandamuri Balakrishna – Triple role

1. Murali Krishna – soft-spoken family man
2. Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora – the unstoppable warrior-sage
3. A third ethereal form (revealed in climax)
   At 62, Balayya delivers what might be his most physically demanding and emotionally layered performance ever. The Aghora get-up, the trishul fights, and the roar “Shiva Tandavam ante pralayame… kaani punarjanma kooda!” have already become instant classics.

Samyuktha Menon – fiery and graceful; finally gets solid action and emotional scenes
Pragya Jaiswal – IAS officer wife; strong screen presence
Harshaali Malhotra (Bajrangi Bhaijaan child actress) – plays Janani, the emotional core of the film
Aadhi Pinisetty – terrifying tantric villain Siddhant; career-best negative role
Kabir Duhan Singh – menacing warlord; perfect foil for geopolitical angle

Plot Breakdown (Spoiler-Free Summary First, Then Detailed Act-Wise)

Safe Summary (No Major Spoilers):
Years after the events of Akhanda, Murali Krishna lives peacefully in the Himalayas with his wife and young daughter Janani. When an ancient tantric force and a foreign-backed invasion threaten the nation’s sanctity, Janani’s innocent devotion to Lord Shiva triggers the return of Akhanda. What follows is a divine rage dance that spans snowy peaks, the Kumbh Mela, and international borders.

Detailed Act-Wise Breakdown (Spoilers Ahead):

Act 1 – The Calm Before the Cosmic Storm (0–45 min)

• Idyllic Himalayan village life of Murali Krishna, Saranya, and little Janani
• Janani’s pure “Om Namah Shivaya” chant accidentally awakens dormant spiritual energy
• Introduction of Aadhi Pinisetty’s tantric sorcerer who wants to corrupt that energy
• Parallel track: Kabir Duhan Singh planning border infiltration with Chinese backing
• Emotional family attack → Murali Krishna’s partial Aghora awakening

Act 2 – Thaandavam Begins (45–140 min)

• Full transformation into Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora
• Three massive action blocks:
  1. Himalayan peak fight (snow, trishul, elemental VFX)
  2. Kumbh Mela massacre-turned-redemption (crowd involvement, “Shiva Shiva” anthem)
  3. Georgia border war sequence (tanks vs divine power)
• Saranya’s bureaucratic fight against corruption
• Mid-point twist linking the villain to Akhanda’s past life

Act 3 – The Cosmic Tandava (140–164 min)

• Multi-dimensional climax where Akhanda fights in three forms simultaneously
• Shiva’s actual Tandava visualized with ₹80 crore VFX
• Emotional resolution with Janani’s purity as the ultimate weapon
• Post-credit scene teasing Akhanda 3

Technical Aspects

Cinematography (C. Ramprasad & Santosh Detake): Stunning 3D work, especially Himalayan and Kumbh sequences
VFX: 80% excellent, 20% slightly cartoonish in spectral scenes
Editing (Tammiraju): Tight in action, slightly dragged in family portions
Music & BGM (Thaman S): Career-best work; “The Thaandavam” title track and “Gangadhara Shankara” are goosebump machines
Action Choreography: Among the top 3 fight sequences ever in Telugu cinema

Final Verdict – 3.75/5 ★

Strengths
✓ Balakrishna in god-mode – literally
✓ Never-seen-before elevation scenes
✓ Thaman’s earth-shaking background score
✓ Emotional father-daughter track
✓ 4DX/IMAX experience is insane

Weaknesses
✗ Some VFX still feels incomplete (rushed post-production)
✗ 164-minute runtime could have been 10–12 minutes tighter
✗ Heavy Hindu-centric messaging may not appeal to all sections

Box Office Prediction (once released)
Day 1 AP/TG: ₹65–75 crore (all-time record possible)
Worldwide lifetime: ₹450–550 crore (if released without further delays)

Bottom Line

Akhanda 2: Thaandavam is not a film — it is a religious experience for Nandamuri fans and mass cinema lovers. Boyapati Srinu and Balakrishna have taken the original’s formula, multiplied it by ten, and delivered a sequel that roars louder, hits harder, and prays deeper. Once the legal issues are cleared and it finally hits screens, expect theaters to shake with “Jai Balayya” and “Jai Akhanda” chants for weeks.

For now, the rage dance is paused… but when Shiva decides to perform Thaandavam, even courts have to step aside.

Jai Balayya! Jai Akhanda!

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