Review: Akhil’s ‘Agent’ is a moderately engaging spy thriller that needs more sharpness

Surender Reddy’s Agent, starring Akhil Akkineni, is closer to the space of Shah Rukh Khan’s recently-released Pathaan. The antagonist (Dino Morea)’s character in Agent is pretty similar to that of the one (John Abraham) in the Shah Rukh-starrer.

There is no denying that Akhil’s latest outing is a lavish film. There is plenty of style in how the actor has been presented along with the action set pieces.

But the movie doesn’t quite turn out to be the popcorn entertainer that it ideally should have been.

The main reason for that is the meandering screenplay. It also doesn’t help that the songs coupled with the romantic angle turn out to be major speed breakers.

Synopsis

P Ramakrishna aka Ricky (Akhil) is a hyperactive youngster with dreams of becoming a spy. However, he is rejected three times by the RAW. So, he decides to hack the system of the RAW chief Mahadev aka The Devil (Mammootty) to get noticed by him.

After some persuasion, Mahadev gives Ricky an assignment (anybody else would have thrown him out though). He also appoints him on a mission to find out what “God” (Dino Morea) is up to (God has some big plans to destroy India).

The rest of the story is about who “God” is and why he has turned into a villain. And more importantly, would Ricky succeed in his ambitions?

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Akhil finally sheds his inhibitions

First and foremost, Surender Reddy deserves appreciation for presenting Akhil differently. There is certain unpredictability to Ricky in how he goes about things.

Akhil delivers his most uninhibited performance so far. There is also nimbleness to his dance moves.

Two scenes deserve a mention here – one is when he interacts with Minister Jayadev (Sampath Raj) and the other is the fight sequence before the interval. Akhil is too good in both of these sequences.

Mammootty’s Mahadev is a more serious character in comparison. This contrast works well for the scenes where they are together.

There is certain ruthlessness to Mahadev which Mammootty pulls off with his signature gravitas. In fact, at one point, audiences even feel he left Ricky to his fate in a dangerous situation.

Dino Morea as the villain gets a powerful presence, but his backstory does not have the emotional resonance of John Abraham in Pathaan. Nevertheless, the actor does make for a striking antagonist.

The supporting cast features the usual suspects comprising Sampath Raj and Murali Sharma. But none of them have anything worthwhile to do. They only increase the runtime of the film.

Couldn’t think of a WILDER WAY to Launch the BIG TICKET… Thank you my brother… This one is very special to me… @AlwaysRamCharan ❤️❤️#Agent From Tomorrow. #AgentWildRideBegins pic.twitter.com/hECoighPcr

— Akhil Akkineni (@AkhilAkkineni8) April 27, 2023

The drawbacks

As earlier said, Agent has a rich look. The action scenes have been designed well. Some of the action blocks are quite power packed.

For example, there is an intense chase sequence in Kashmir where Akhil is on the run.

One major disappointment with Agent is how the romantic track has been integrated into the storyline.

Sakshi Vaidhya plays an aspiring pilot and there is no place for love in her life. But later, she falls for Ricky. Her character could have been so much more, but Surender Reddy reduces her to a single-tone character as the film progresses.

The songs composed by Hiphop Tamizha are also a major downer despite Akhil’s graceful dance moves. The songs come in situations when the story least requires them.

Another problem with Agent is the backstory of Dino Morea. His reasons for going rogue aren’t one bit convincing. As a result, the audience doesn’t feel any sympathy for him when he bursts out in anger regarding Mahadev to Ricky.

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Final take

Overall, Akhil Akkineni makes for a striking Agent but Surender Reddy fails to deliver a big-pole entertainer.

(Views expressed are personal.)