Akhanda 2 walks into theatres carrying the weight of sky-high expectations. After all, the first film became a sensation purely on the strength of its unapologetic mass energy. This time, however, that spark seems dimmer, and the sequel struggles to recreate the same frenzy that once defined the Boyapati–Balakrishna combination.

Right from the start, the film tries to jump back into the world it built earlier, but instead of expanding it in an exciting direction, the narrative feels stuck in a time capsule. Boyapati sticks to his trademark beats - heavy drama, spiritual overtones, theatrical action  but the structure feels too familiar, almost predictable. 
 

There are a couple of moments that jolt the film to life: the introductory sequence, the interval stretch, and a second-half block that briefly reminds you what made Akhanda special. But those high points arrive like isolated sparks rather than a consistent fire.

For most of its runtime, the film maintains a single flat tone. The pacing doesn’t rise or dip meaningfully, the emotional arcs don’t pack any punch, and the action, though designed to be exaggerated in true Boyapati style, crosses into territory where it stops being thrilling and becomes tiring. Audiences walk in prepared for loudness and excess, but this level of overstretching ends up diluting the effect instead of amplifying it.

Thaman’s background score, one of the biggest talking points of the first film, is surprisingly uneven here. While Akhanda’s music felt like organized chaos,loud but full of energy - the sequel’s BGM often slides into plain noise. Instead of elevating the heroism, it overwhelms the scenes and distracts from the impact. Only a handful of moments manage to reclaim that old pulse.

Balakrishna, as always, brings towering screen presence and delivers with conviction, but even his intensity cannot entirely salvage the shortcomings of the writing. The film keeps looking for a high that never fully arrives.

In the end, Akhanda 2 isn’t a complete misfire , it has scattered sequences that will please hardcore fans but as a whole, it fails to match the legacy of its predecessor. The ambition is big, the scale is loud, but the soul feels missing. On box office front, it will  not do as per trade expectations .