Akshaye Khanna To Play Shukracharya In Tollywood Debut
With a flowing silver beard, austere robes, and eyes that blaze with unearthly wisdom, Akshaye embodies the mystic whose knowledge once altered the fate of gods and demons alike
Bollywood star Akshaye Khanna, who recently impressed audiences with his menacing turn as Aurangzeb in the blockbuster Chhava, is set to make his Telugu debut with the epic film MAHAKALI. Despite a wave of offers after Chhava, the actor chose MAHAKALI for his southern launch, drawn by the film’s powerful narrative and the depth of his role.
The makers have unveiled his first look as Shukracharya, the revered guru of the Asuras in Hindu mythology. The striking visual depicts him standing before a colossal mountain fortress, framed by towering cliffs under a storm-laden sky. Flames from ancient altars flicker around him, casting a divine yet forbidding glow.
With a flowing silver beard, austere robes, and eyes that blaze with unearthly wisdom, Akshaye embodies the mystic whose knowledge once altered the fate of gods and demons alike. The chiaroscuro of light and shadow renders him both ascetic and formidable—a sage suspended between mortality and eternity.
Known as the master of Sanatana Vidya and the keeper of the secretive Mrita-Sanjivani mantra—the power to restore life—Shukracharya is revered as both a spiritual guide and the indomitable strategist of the Asuras. Through Akshaye Khanna, MAHAKALI reimagines him not as a figure of the past, but as a living symbol of wisdom, defiance, and cosmic authority.
