Akka Review: Keerthy Suresh, Tanvi Azmi Are Spectacular In This Joke Of A Woman-Centric Bloodbath

Title: Akka

Director: Dharmaraj Shetty

Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Tanvi Azmi, Radhika Apte, Mahesh Manjrekar, and others

Where: Netflix

Rating: 2 stars

Imagine a world where everything is governed by women. There is matriarchy and not patriarchy. For centuries, there have been three clans (Malemar, Herkada and Perplady) in the fictional Pernuru in Deccan (South India), where men are the ones pleading with women to marry them but the ladies be like no thank you! Only a girl child gets to become the next heir… the bloodline is carried forward by women and there are only queens no kings. Education, business, self defense, farming… everything is overseen by women. Sounds like a dream right? Well here’s the thing, Akka manages to turn it into a boring nightmare.

Acting

Keerthy Suresh as Bhavani seems wooden at first but slowly she improves and once she becomes ‘Akka’ there is no stopping her. She is excellent as the woman who is scorned. She looks royal and acts like one as well. However, it is hands down Tanvi Azmi as Muthakka who is exceptional. Wish her role was longer. Mahesh Manjrekar as Shankar Anna is decent. Radhika Apte as Rudra overacts, hams and her abysmal dialogue delivery ruins whatever little curiosity one might have in her character. The problem is that she just starts this (at times) very silly game of cat and mouse, gets prominent members of the sisterhood killed left, right and centre and yet she doesn’t bear the consequences of her actions. Even Rudra’s end is so blah one wonders why she created such chaos in the first place. The reason given behind her ‘badle ki aag’ is also meh. Also, if Zeenat Aman was her ‘inspiration’ for Rudra’s costumes then her dress designer did Zeenie baby’s fashion legacy a massive disservice!

Kiran Karmarkar as Tarnathanna is wasted. Anshumaan Pushkar as Amar is okay. Vishak Nair as Bhavani’s love interest Nanda doesn’t get much scope to perform.

Direction

The web series is written and directed by Dharmaraj Shetty. It is his directorial debut. On paper, the idea is fascinating, however it is executed shoddily. Shetty shows promise in the last episode though. Unfortunately it is a little too late by then. This kind of complex storyline probably needed a director with a lot of experience in this genre. Each episode ends with a bang but the second the next one starts, the euphoria fades. There are a few twists that are written and helmed decently. It is like a crescendo that turns into a downhill spiral constantly. Out of the three clans, he focuses the most on Malemar with Herkada and Perplady reduced to sidekicks.

Music & aesthetics

The opening title of the show has good music. John Stewart Eduri has done a fine job and the background score acts as a decent companion to the ongoings.

There is a scene in episode three with a ritual performed by Rakthurthi. That has been shot very well and might remind some of Kantara. However, by this time, the show has lost the thin plot it was based on.

The cinematography is amateurish. The makers haven’t mentioned his name in the credits so I won’t either. They have shot some key scenes of Akka in darkness and one has to strain the eyes to make sense of what is occurring.

The costumes, sets, make up, locations are average. But the jewellery is gorgeous.

Editing by Sanyukta Kaza and Saheeb Bagchi is choppy. The show oscillates between different timelines and the back and forth feels a bit confusing.

Action director Sunil Rodrigues has done a fine job especially during the ‘Ankam’ fight sequence. The action choreography is raw, real and very well done.

FPJ Verdict

Think of Akka as a never-ending rollercoaster. It just spins round and round and round. Despite being based in South India, none of the actors has even the slightest diction in their dialogue delivery. They all seem like they could be from anywhere in India. The backstory shown in the beginning as animation should have been a standalone episode. That story was far more fascinating than the one shown.

Mercifully, this web series is merely five episodes. The makers have hinted at a sequel towards the end… If that does happen, let’s hope that they do a much better job than this one. Akka leaves one’s brain feeling hakka bakka. It can easily be skipped.