After a poor start in duds like "Abhimanyu", Telegu star Kalyan Ram rose to stardom with the smash hit "Athanokkade". But his next release "Asadhyudu" dents his newfound and hard-won stardom.

He plays a larger-than-life role, but it takes some time for any actor to acquire the image that makes unbelievable feats believable. The role of a guy who takes on the might of a dreaded don ideally suits a big star, and Kalyan is clearly miscast.

Debutant director Anil Krishna announced the film as his "dream project", but with so poor a screenplay, pedestrian jokes and a contrived plot, the dream is unlikely to come true.

Debutant actress Divya fails to impress with either her looks or her acting.

Chalapathi Rao and Charan Raj impress, while Vinod Kumar scores as an upright policeman. Baddies Ravi Kale and Vinayagan do not go beyond looking menacing.

Chakri disappoints hugely with his insipid score for the film.

The film's only highlight is a series of breathtaking action sequences, thanks to stunt director and horeographer Vikram Dharma.