Some of the dialogues in Akhanda 2 play to the gallery in juvenile ways. They are so peculiar that they will put delusional WhatsApp forwards in nationalist circles to shame.
In a crucial stretch, Balakrishna's Aghora character writes off China as a declining power while simultaneously exaggerating the growing prominence of India as a Vishwa Guru. The size of the Chinese economy is almost five times that of India!
Chinese are shamed for their food habits, while the 'sindoor'-sporting Indian women are more powerful than all armies. By the way, Indians live in some of the world's most polluted cities and consume adulterated milk and laddus. The national media, if it cares to review the movie, is certain to tear down the movie's politics.
What is funny and ironical is that the same film has a key character questioning the lack of sincerity among temple-visiting believers. If pilgrims are insincere, how come the 'sindoor' they sport has the power of a military? Stick to one narrative, right? It's as if one scene was written with common sense and another scene was written after reading WhatsApp forwards.
