Lenin X review: Akhil wins praise, but weak writing splits viewers

Actor Akhil Akkineni’s latest release, Lenin, opened in theatres on July 10 and drew mixed reactions on social media. Early posts on X praised Akhil’s performance and some parts of the second half, but several users said the film is held back by weak writing, a flat romance track and uneven music placement.

The Telugu action drama places a love story at the centre of a violent village conflict and drew parallels with the Mahabharata and Kurukshetra. Those elements also became a talking point in the online reactions, with some viewers saying the film’s rural setting and hero-villain conflict worked, while others felt the mythological references were forced.

One user called Lenin a "Template Commercial Film with a Few Interesting Twists!" The post said the opening set-up, which draws parallels to the Mahabharata, was decent, but the film soon turned flat because of an ineffective love story and familiar commercial beats. The same user added that the film improved from the pre-interval stage and that a few later twists worked, but said it also felt too similar to rural dramas seen before. The user described Thaman’s music as a mixed bag, criticised the placement of songs and said Akhil showed improvement and made the film watchable, but not fully satisfying.

A second user said Akhil Akkineni was the one actor who stood out, but argued that weak writing stopped the film from becoming a hit. The post read that the characters were poorly developed and that repeated comparisons with figures from the Mahabharata only created confusion. The user praised Bhagyashri Borse’s screen presence, said the background score was decent, described Sivaji as underused and appreciated the cinematography.

The user also wrote, "Don’t mess with Mahabharata characters if you don’t have a clear understanding of who they are."

Another user, reacting to the first half, called the film good and the screenplay racy, said the story had no unnecessary scenes, but added that the first two songs were a major let-down. That user also praised Akhil’s acting, while noting that the slang seemed inconsistent in places, and appreciated Bhagyashri, Shivaji and Brahmaji.

A fourth user described Lenin as "an ambitious commercial entertainer that gets many of its building blocks right but misses the emotional glue needed to elevate them". The post read writer-director Murali Kishor Abburu created an engaging rural world, used Mahabharata-inspired drama and revealed plot points through a planned screenplay.

It added that the romance remained the weakest part, even though the film found its rhythm before the interval and delivered an engaging second half with twists and confrontations. The same user wrote Thaman’s songs interrupted the narrative, but the background score lifted important scenes, and added that Akhil delivered one of his better performances.

Lenin marks Akhil’s return to cinemas after Agent and also stars Bhagyashri Borse, Sivaji, Brahmaji, Easwari Rao and Sunil. The film, produced by Akkineni Nagarjuna and Suryadevara Naga Vamsi, had earlier been scheduled for release on June 26 before being pushed to July 10.