A dhinayakudu is unpretentious, caters to Balakrishna's fans and is liberally laced with politics. The actor appears in three roles — grandfather, father and son — sending his fans into a tizzy. The film gets down to business in the opening scene where Harikrishna Prasad (Balakrishna), the elderly Good Samaritan, is shot to death — a cue for flashbacks and a revenge drama to follow.
Years later, a much-feared goonda is freed from prison to plot the killing of Ramakrishna Prasad (Balakrishna, again, as the son of Harikrishna Prasad), for political gain. The forces that be want to hire Bobby (a young Balakrishna), a professional killer. Bobby is a killer who sides with the good in the battle between good and evil.
Bobby's guardian discloses that the man he has to wipe out is his own father, Ramakrishna. The story moves to Rayalaseema where Ramakrishna Prasad is revered for continuing the good work begun by his father. How Bobby re-unites with his family, learns the mystery behind his grandfather's murder and settles scores forms the rest of the story. This movie is not only about personal revenge. The canvas is large enough to delineate Balakrishna's political ideologies. He takes potshots at his opponents and the dialogues are greeted with whistles.
Balakrishna dominates the film and the rest of the cast just happen to share the same frame with him, try to do their best and some of them succeed. Jayasudha and Sukanya leave an impression in their short roles. Lakshmi Rai has nothing to do beyond providing the glamour element.
Brahmanandam elicits a lot of laughter, even if the comedy is silly. Picture this: Brahmi is chilling out on a makeshift wooden raft in a valley, with a fishing rod and is shocked to see a Qualis hurtling down and landing in the water. Balakrishna emerges from the water and declares he is an alien! Brahmi's plans to pin down Balakrishna backfire and his family suspects his mental stability.
On a serious note, Adhinayakudu makes no effort to appeal to non-Balakrishna fans. The backdrop of factionism and a story spanning three generations could have made for a good drama, but what we get is a chaotic screenplay. S.P. Balasubrahmanyam has been made to sing in a tone that's so reminiscent of the 80s that you feel sorry for him. The costumes of the lead pair and junior artistes in the songs can make you go colour blind.
If you are a hardcore Balakrishna fan, you will walk out of the hall recollecting the hard-hitting dialogues and drawing inferences on the political agenda. If you are a not a fan, you will be glad that the violence came to an end. Even in the name of justice, why would you want to see a pan of hot oil being thrown on a goonda's face or a henchman being axed and then dragged on the ground? It's a film where a group of thugs show their muscle power by murdering a man in full public view and then molest his wife as the gathering, which includes foreign delegates, simply watch on. Give it a miss, unless you want to read between the lines of the politically-charged dialogues.
ADHINAYAKUDU
Cast : Balakrishna, Lakshmi Rai, Sukanya, Jayasudha and others.
Direction : Paruchuri Murali
Plot : A revenge drama that spans three generations.
Bottomline : Politically charged and strictly for Balakrishna fans.
