Akka Review: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Akka is a fast, five-episode crime drama with a fresh world, great costumes, and a commanding Keerthy Suresh. The slow start, stiff dialogue for Rudra, and a weak ending keep it from being great.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Genre: Crime Drama
Language: Hindi
Writer and Director: Dharmaraj Shetty
Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Radhika Apte, Tanvi Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Anshuman Pushkar
Gangster stories usually belong to men. Akka asks what happens when the whole kingdom belongs to women instead. The Hindi series is now streaming on Netflix, and it runs for only five episodes, so it is easy to finish in a weekend.
The story is set in Pernuru, a made up kingdom where women have ruled for generations. Property and power pass from one woman to the next. Marriage barely matters here, and the men are pushed to the sidelines. By 1985, Bhavani, played by Keerthy Suresh, is in charge, with the elder Muthakka, played by Tanvi Azmi, still watching over the clan. Their main business is brewing liquor, and everyone wears enough gold to fill a bank vault.
Trouble arrives in the form of Rudra, played by Radhika Apte. A Mumbai gangster named Shankar, played by Mahesh Manjrekar, sends her to take over the liquor trade. She is cold and dangerous, and she has a personal score to settle. Bhavani is no soft ruler either. What follows is a fierce fight between an outsider with a grudge and a queen who feels duty bound to protect her people.
The best part of Akka is how it treats power. It does not only ask who wins. It also asks how a society keeps its rules, and what that costs the people living by them. Both leads are given real reasons to fight, so the story is not about love or marriage. Most characters live in grey areas, and that makes the clash more interesting.
Keerthy Suresh is the star of this show. Her Bhavani walks with calm authority, and her close-ups show a warrior who is strong and tired at the same time. You can feel the weight on her. Her Hindi accent is a little rough in places, but her screen presence makes you forgive it. Radhika Apte has the harder job, since Rudra is written to be feared, not loved. She plays it with confidence, though her lines often sound too rehearsed, as if she is carrying a pocket full of big speeches. Pooja Mohanraj and Poornima Indrajith also add solid support.
The look of the series deserves praise too. Sheetal Sharma’s costumes are stunning, with glittering silk and heavy jewellery on the women of Pernuru, set against Rudra’s dark, modern outfits. The locations feel remote and real.
Now for the problems. The first three episodes are heavy on explanation and lean on familiar gangster ideas. There are too many characters, too many clans and too many rules to keep track of. You can also spot echoes of Kantara, Baahubali and even Kill Bill, and not all of them work. Things improve in the second half. Episode four is a real surprise, and the finale has a gripping action scene.
Sadly, the ending does not match the build up. Rudra’s final turn feels like an easy way out, and it leaves a sour taste after so much bloodshed. A series this ambitious deserved a stronger landing.
If you are in the mood for more thrillers, we covered the show earlier in our Akka teaser review and our Akka trailer breakdown. Fans of twisty mysteries can also try our A Couple of Lies review, and our Nocturne review covers a dark serial killer drama on Apple TV.
Akka is not perfect, but it is bold and good looking, and Keerthy Suresh alone makes it worth your time.
Akka is now streaming on Netflix.