'Akira' Film Review: Sonakshi slays, Anurag Kashyap shines; screenplay disappoints

Akira
Dir: AR Murugadoss
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Konkona Sensharma, Amit Sadh, Raai Laxmi

What's it about:

Diligent daughter, do-gooder, karate learner, juvenile delinquent, college student... she's all that. Not many girls are like Akira (Sinha). And as the narrator, Superintendent of Police Rabia (Sensharma) tells you a lot many girls should be. 

Starting off in Jodhpur, a young Akira testifies against an acid-thrower and gets a deep cut to the side of her head. She joins karate classes and on seeing lechers at a bus-stop eve-teasing girls, teaches them a lesson, one tries to fling acid at her and she gives him a taste of his own medicine. She's sent to a remand home for three years. Once back, she just wants to live her life quietly, but has to contend with a brother wanting her and their mother to desperately move to Mumbai with him. 

'He just wants you to wash his child's diapers', Akira retorts. And while you'd be hard-pressed to disagree with her 'wisdom', you start to admire her cynicism. A sideways glance from her bhabhi tells her she isn't welcome at her brother's place. She offers to move to the college hostel. And that's where the problems start.

Now, that you've got this far, let's get to ACP Rane (Kashyap) and his minions. Rane is a master at getting away with murder. Literally. With three minions at his beck and call, he thinks he's invincible. An accident that sees them coming into several crores also makes sure Rane gets careless and starts bragging about their ill-gotten wealth. An enterprising prostitute (Laxmi) he frequents, records him on video doing exactly that. She loses said videotape and camcorder in a coffee shop, where it's stolen by another customer.

You know what happens next to the prostitute once Rane comes to know. What you don't know is why Akira is caught in the middle of all this. Why the cops are out to discredit her any way they can. And if they succeed or not. And how Konkona, who plays an SP, tries to get to the truth. Watch the film to find out

What's hot:

This is Sonakshi Sinha's true debut as a Bollywood hero. She shines in all her scenes, even the ones she's shown to be sedated in. As an action star, she's confident, subtle, measured in speech and moves. The funny thing is, if I had to draw parallels, she starts out like a female Steven Seagal and ends up as badass as a Michelle Rodriguez or a Ronda Rousey (someone please convince Sona to try out for the UFC!). And that's quite a graph to have in one film. Murugadoss and team ensure that their hero is up, front and centre, making all the right noises and moves.

Anurag as ACP Rane is a force of nature. As a director himself, you know he's totally in command of the scenes he takes up. It doesn't matter that he plays a more exaggerated version of the conventional Bollywood villain, because he doesn't overplay it and make it a caricature. 

As SP Rabia and the film's narrator, Konkona is remarkably restrained and effectively adequate in what can best be described as a limited role for this talented actress. The heavily pregnant cop -- so reminiscent of Frances McDormand in Fargo -- is played by her as coolly as one would expect of her.

The photography is top-notch throughout. Also, the action choreography doesn't betray moves a woman couldn't possibly pull off, unlike a few other action heroes who do outlandish things. And that's saying a lot.

What's not:

It follows the template of the Tamil film it is a remake of (Mouna Guru), too closely. And while this is an official remake, one expects more from someone of the calibre of a Murugadoss to at least do one better, apart from making the fight and dramatic scenes look good. The film is too shoddily edited. At two-and-a-half hours, it's anyway too long. There are way too many loopholes. What does Akira's mute but otherwise hale-and-hearty father die of, in the three years that she's in juvie? Why does Akira's brother never make the effort to make his wife understand why his sister went to juvie? Why does Smita Jaykar, who knows what Akira's been through, so readily believe she's gone insane? And who in their right minds believes strangers/questionable doctors over their own children? How does the transgender in the mental asylum (she's been there two years possibly) have the presence of mind to get a hold of the keys to Akira's lockup and then help her out and basically have a free run of the place? 

What to do:

Despite its flaws, catch this film for Sona. Every kick and punch she lands, proves that she's grown in leaps and bounds since that joke of a boxing match in Holiday. While Murugadoss leaves a lot to be desired, it is a satisfying one-time watch for an action-junkie.

Rating: ***

Watch trailer of the film here: