Superstar Nagarjuna’s younger son Akhil Akkineni is all set to make his debut with Akhil. Is the film named after him? “Akhil means ‘universe’. And the film is about a conspiracy to cause widespread catastrophe, like D-Day. We needed the title Akhil. And since that’s my name too, we saw nothing wrong in using it,” says the debutant.
The gentle, well brought up son of Nagarjuna and Amala has all but wrapped up the shooting of his first film. “We’ve only two songs left to shoot, and we’re leaving for Munich to shoot them. The past few months have just flown by, and I don’t know when and how my movie was completed,” says Akhil, who is all praise for his co-star Sayesha Saigal. “She is Saira Banu Ji’s niece and therefore related to Dilip Kumar. So talent is in her genes. She emotes and dances like a dream. I’m very lucky to have her as a co-star.” In fact Akhil’s luck seems to go back to his childhood.
“I am lucky to be born in this family. My grandfather, my father, my brother Naga Chaitanya, have all been accepted. In our industry in Andhra we have a very loyal fan base. If they welcome and accept an actor they also welcome successive generations. My father benefited from the fan base that my grandfather built. And now my brother and I are gaining from the goodwill and loyalty that my grandfather and father received,” he says.
To say Akhil is nervous, excited and anxious would be stating the obvious. “To be honest, I was not anxious when we started shooting. But as the day of release, October 21, approaches, I am getting nervous. I know the audience will come to see me because of my lineage. But will they like my film as much as they should? I hope I don’t disappoint them.”
Akhil with fingers crossed, says that for the first time, the Bollywood model of movie marketing has been adopted. “For the first time in Telugu cinema, the team is undertaking city tours. My co-star and I will be in three cities in the US and five cities in Telangana and Andhra. This has never been done before for a Telugu movie. We’re going all out to ensure that my film reaches out to the maximum number of people.”
On Nagarjuna’s birthday on August 29, Salman Khan released the first look of Akhil’s film. And the young star can’t thank Salman enough. “Salman bhai needn’t have done this. But he insisted on releasing the trailer. I can’t thank him enough for being so kind to a newcomer.”
Akhil’s other passion is cricket. “I am crazy about cricket. If I hadn’t been an actor I’d have been a professional cricketer. But there was never any conflict about my chosen career. It was always acting. I play cricket religiously and I head the Andhra team of the Celebrity Cricket League. That’s how I met Salman bhai. Otherwise he wouldn’t even have known a newcomer like me.”
“Newcomer” is a bit of modest self-description for Akhil as he’s already a recognisable face in Hyderabad. “I guess I am a known face because of the family. I’ve also done an ad for a watch company with Kalki Koechlin. I can’t go out with my friends for a routine cup of coffee anymore. The other day I was seen with a female friend and the next thing I knew, her picture was on Facebook, announcing her as my girlfriend. More than me, the unnecessary public attention is embarrassing for my friends… But it’s okay. I’ve chosen to be in this profession. And I am determined to enjoy every bit of the attention.”
While October 21 is marked in the calendar as the day Akhil’s new life begins, there is another date before that which he is looking forward to. “On September 20 we are doing the film’s music release in honour of my grandfather. It’s going to be a special occasion. I wish my grandfather was here to see me step into my new phase.”
Akhil’s parents Nagarjuna and Amala seem to have swallowed the elixir of youth. Akhil laughs, “It’s all about the right food rather than exercising vigorously. At the moment, I don’t eat as healthily as my parents.” Akhil already has two other films on the anvil. “One of these would be a home production. And yes, I dream of doing a family film with my father and brother. But currently my entire focus is on the release of Akhil. I don’t want to disappoint myself or the audience.”
