Akshaye Khanna's first look from Prasanth Varma's Mahakali unveiled
The actor will play Asura guru Shukracharya in the upcoming film
The film marks Khanna's Telugu debut
Bollywood actor Akshaye Khanna, who was last seen in Chhaava (2025), is making his Telugu debut in Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU), Mahakali. He is playing a pivotal role in the first female superhero film from PVCU. The first look of Akshaye Khanna from Mahakali was unveiled today, September 30. Khanna, 50, will be essaying the character of Asuraguru Shukracharya in the upcoming film.
Akshaye Khanna in Prasanth Varma's Mahakali
On Tuesday, taking to his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle, Prasanth Varma, who is the showrunner for the film, shared the first look poster of Akshaye Khanna as Asuraguru Shukracharya and captioned it, "In the shadows of gods, rose the brightest flame of rebellion Presenting The Enigmatic #AkshayeKhanna as the eternal 'Asuraguru SHUKRACHARYA' from #Mahakali (sic)".
In the poster, Khanna is seen sporting silver hair and beard, and giving an intense look with his luminous eyes.
For the unversed, Shukracharya was the guru of the Asuras in Hindu mythology. He is known as the master of Sanatana Vidya and secret-keeper of Mrita-Sanjivani Mantra.
About Mahakali
Mahakali was announced last year by Varma. Puja Kolluru will direct it. It has been backed by RK Duggal and Riwaz Ramesh Duggal. In October last year, Varma, while announcing the film, had said, "On this auspicious occasion of Navratri, I’m thrilled to share something very special. Together with @RKDStudios, we proudly present the tale of an invincible warrior, the protector of the righteous, and the ultimate destroyer of evil. From the universe of #HanuMan, prepare for the rise of #MAHAKALI."
About Akshaye Khanna's role in Mahakali
Earlier, Hindustan Times quoted sources saying, “All we can reveal is that his role will add intrigue and depth to the growing PVCU universe. His role will span across multiple films in the franchise and will prove to be an exciting addition. We’re hoping Mahakali is received as well as HanuMan was.”
