Akshaye Khanna To Make Big Debut In Telugu Industry With Mahakali Post Dhurandhar Success; Here’s What We Know

Akshaye
Khanna
is
stepping
into
Telugu
cinema
with
Mahakali,
a
large-scale
mythological
film
that
is
already
sparking
attention
among
fans.
The
project
marks
Akshaye
Khanna’s
Tollywood
debut
and
places
the
actor
in
a
key
role
within
director
Prasanth
Varma’s
expanding
cinematic
universe.
In
Mahakali,
Akshaye
Khanna
is
cast
as
Asuraguru
Shukracharya,
a
powerful
and
complex
figure
from
mythology.
The
film
is
directed
by
Puja
Kolluru
and
is
linked
to
Prasanth
Varma’s
larger
interconnected
universe
of
mythological
stories.
Mahakali
is
reportedly
slated
to
hit
cinemas
in
the
first
half
of
2026.

Akshaye
Khanna
Mahakali:
first
look,
cast
and
release
plans

Mahakali
features
Bhoomi
Shetty
as
the
female
lead,
sharing
the
screen
with
Akshaye
Khanna
in
a
pivotal
role.
Akshaye
Khanna’s
first
look
as
Shukracharya
has
already
surfaced
on
social
media.
In
the
image,
Akshaye
Khanna
appears
with
a
long
white
beard
and
an
intense
expression,
highlighting
the
character’s
imposing
presence.

The
menacing
styling
and
body
language
in
Akshaye
Khanna’s
Mahakali
look
have
drawn
strong
reactions
online.
Many
viewers
feel
the
appearance
suits
the
character
of
a
formidable
guru.
This
response
has
built
further
interest
around
Mahakali,
even
before
a
full
trailer
or
detailed
plot
reveal.

Akshaye
Khanna
Mahakali:
connection
with
Dhurandhar
and
recent
success

Mahakali
arrives
soon
after
Akshaye
Khanna’s
widely
praised
turn
in
Dhurandhar,
where
Akshaye
Khanna
played
Rehman
Dakait
opposite
Ranveer
Singh.
The
performance
is
being
counted
among
Akshaye
Khanna’s
strongest
roles.
Akshaye
Khanna’s
dance
moves
in
the
FA9LA
song
also
went
viral
and
boosted
Akshaye
Khanna’s
popularity.

The
buzz
around
Dhurandhar
has
helped
Mahakali
gain
extra
attention,
as
fans
track
Akshaye
Khanna’s
next
choices.
There
is
already
talk
of
Dhurandhar
Part
2,
where
Akshaye
Khanna
is
expected
to
appear
in
flashback
portions.
However,
no
formal
details
about
Akshaye
Khanna’s
extended
role
have
been
revealed
by
the
makers.

After
Dhurandhar’s
box-office
and
social
media
impact,
many
Hindi
filmmakers
reportedly
approached
Akshaye
Khanna
with
fresh
scripts.
Despite
this,
Akshaye
Khanna
has
not
confirmed
any
new
Hindi
film
officially.
At
present,
Akshaye
Khanna
is
focused
on
shooting
Mahakali,
while
remaining
selective
about
signing
further
projects.

Akshaye
Khanna
Mahakali:
other
films
and
career
updates

If
industry
reports
prove
accurate,
Akshaye
Khanna
will
also
appear
in
Border
2
in
a
cameo
role.
Akshaye
Khanna,
however,
has
stepped
away
from
Drishyam
3,
scheduled
for
release
on
2
October
2026.
In
Drishyam
2,
Akshaye
Khanna
portrayed
an
investigating
officer
opposite
Ajay
Devgn.

Recent
years
have
seen
a
fresh
phase
in
Akshaye
Khanna’s
career.
In
2025,
Akshaye
Khanna’s
portrayal
of
Aurangzeb
in
Vicky
Kaushal’s
Chhaava
was
widely
appreciated
by
fans.
Combined
with
Dhurandhar
and
the
upcoming
Mahakali,
these
projects
have
kept
Akshaye
Khanna
in
steady
discussion
among
Hindi
and
Telugu
audiences.

The
following
table
summarises
Akshaye
Khanna’s
key
recent
and
upcoming
films
mentioned
in
relation
to
Mahakali:

With
Mahakali,
Dhurandhar’s
impact,
and
memorable
work
in
Chhaava,
Akshaye
Khanna
remains
a
strong
presence
on
the
big
screen.
Fans
now
wait
for
further
announcements
about
Akshaye
Khanna’s
Hindi
and
Telugu
projects,
while
Mahakali
stands
as
the
next
major
release
on
Akshaye
Khanna’s
schedule.