Keerthy Suresh has made her OTT debut with Akka, a Hindi gangster action drama produced by Yash Raj Films. Directed by Dharmaraj Shetty, the series also stars Radhika Apte in a key role. Keerthy plays a gangster and has impressed audiences with her performance. The series marks her entry into the Hindi OTT space.
Akka Story: Pernur has been ruled by women for centuries, with its queens known as Akkas. Bhavani (Keerthy Suresh), the next queen of Malemar, runs liquor and gold businesses and kills anyone who challenges her power. Meanwhile, Rudra (Radhika Apte) arrives from Mumbai and begins destroying the Akka families and their businesses. She even sends Bhavani to jail.
The story revolves around Rudra’s revenge, her connection with Nanda, and Bhavani’s fight to protect her family and kingdom.
Performances: Keerthy Suresh steals the show as a lady gangster with her strong body language, dialogue delivery and emotional performance. Radhika Apte is equally impressive in a negative role. Their performances are the major highlights of the series. Pooja Mohanraj impresses in action scenes, while the supporting cast also delivers good performances..
Technical Aspects: Director Dharmaraj Shetty creates an interesting new world for Akka with its matriarchal system, queens called Akkas and rules for claiming the throne. The introduction of Pernur is engaging, but the main story loses its freshness. It eventually turns into a routine revenge drama, with predictable twists and a lack of thrills in the conflict between Bhavani and Rudra.
On the technical side, the series is impressive. Yash Raj Films’ rich production values, Prateek Shah’s cinematography, Sheetal Iqbal Sharma’s costumes and John Stewart’s music add quality. The series has five episodes, each running for 30 to 45 minutes. The Telugu dubbing is also good.
Analysis: Akka breaks the usual trend by placing women in all key roles instead of focusing on a male hero. Though this makes it a different experiment, the routine revenge story limits its impact. The series is worth watching for Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte’s performances and its technical quality.
Verdict: A technically rich revenge drama backed by strong performances from Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte, but with a predictable story.
Bottom Line: Strong performances, routine revenge drama.
Rating : 2.5/5
