It is always sad and poignant when a top actor shows signs of fading away.

Certainly Vijayendra Varma, that has bombed at the box office, was poignant.

Many believe that the film signifies the start of the end for Balakrishna.

"He was pallid and a far cry from his usual confident presence,' wrote one critic.

It was not so much the movie or its failure that is worrying. In any case, VV was expected to fail considering the upheavals that accompanied it during its making.

But the more worrying thing, as far as the critics go is, Balakrishna is irretrievably tied to his image. "Every hero in Telugu is image conscious. They make films only on their own terms. But they some how bring variety into them. But in Balaya's case, things have reached a nadir," says a leading distributor.

"He can act only in roles where there have to be larger-than-life enemies. He has to break into loud rhetorics. The young heroines have to chase him. The audience can second guess every frame," he adds.

Critics also say Balaya spoils his case by choosing young heroines. "In contrast, he comes across as heavy-jowled uncle". With Ankitha and Laya, he sure was in VV.

The point is Balakrishna reading the writing on the wall.