The Divine Presence on the Silver Screen:
In the post–COVID-19 era, South Indian cinema has witnessed a marked resurgence of narratives centred on divine possession and divine intervention. Films such as Akhanda, Akhanda 2 and Kantara repeatedly arrive at moments where human agency collapses and a higher, sacred force intervenes to restore moral and social order. This cinematic trend reflects a collective psychological shift shaped by fear, uncertainty and an intensified search for meaning in a post-pandemic world.
Deus Ex Machina
This narrative impulse aligns with the classical literary concept of Deus Ex Machina, wherein an external power resolves an otherwise insoluble crisis. A notable example appears in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, where a naval officer abruptly rescues the boys after their descent into savagery, symbolising the return of order from chaos. Similarly, contemporary South Indian cinema invokes divine forces when social, political and ethical systems fail, reaffirming faith in transcendental justice.
Films like Kantara employ the ritual of Bhoota Kola, while Akhanda draws upon Shiva Tandava, grounding cinematic spectacle in ancient Indian spiritual traditions. These moments are not mere visual excess; they articulate a collective yearning for dharma, protection and ethical clarity, transforming divine intervention into a cultural response to crisis.
The Nata Simha–Boyapati hit combo:
Within this broader trend, the Nata Simha–Boyapati combination stands out as a unique phenomenon. In their fourth successful collaboration, Nandamuri Balakrishna and director Boyapati Srinu push cinema beyond conventional logic into the realm of mythic imagination. Akhanda unfolds not as realistic narration but as sheer cinematic magic driven by symbolism, emotion and spiritual force. The scene where Lord Shiva performs the funeral rites of Akhanda’s mother represents the emotional and philosophical core of the film, powerfully asserting that when human capacity ends, divinity intervenes.
The second half of Akhanda ventures into unprecedented thematic territory by imagining China’s covert involvement in unrest in North-East India and a bio-war sequence during the Maha Kumbh Mela. Akhanda’s actions provoking a Chinese military move towards Mount Kailash, a space of supreme spiritual sanctity, form the film’s most audacious symbolic gesture, suggesting that certain sacred realms remain beyond political and military transgression.
With its relentless pace, thunderous staging and unapologetic grandeur, Akhanda polarises audiences while boldly exploring themes untouched by most Indian filmmakers. While Bollywood film Dhurandhar focus on Pakistan-centric terrorism, Akhanda reimagines Chinese infiltration into Indian soil through a spiritual-nationalistic lens. Ultimately, Akhanda is not to be judged by realism but understood as a mythic spectacle where faith, nationalism and divine power converge, reaffirming Balakrishna’s larger-than-life screen persona and Boyapati Srinu’s fearless cinematic vision.
