Akshaye Khanna’s fierce avatar as ‘Shukracharya’ dominates ‘Mahakali’ glimpse

Akshaye Khanna is set to take on a fierce new role in ‘Mahakali’ as the makers unveiled the first glimpse of the upcoming film.

Titled ‘Shukracharya’s War Cry’, the nearly three-minute teaser introduces the world of the film and sets up a battle between the forces of Dharma and Adharma.

At the centre of the conflict is Shukracharya, the guru of the Asuras, played by Akshaye Khanna.

Khanna appears in a fierce and nearly unrecognisable look as Shukracharya. The glimpse offers the first proper look at his character, showing him as a powerful figure who appears to have a key role in the war that forms the centre of the story.

Last week, the makers of ‘Mahakali’ unveiled Khanna’s full look as Shukracharya, which had already generated a lot of buzz among fans.

Making his Telugu cinema debut with Prasanth Varma’s ‘Mahakali’, the actor appeared in an unrecognisable avatar, sporting a long silver-white beard, intense eyes, matted hair styled in a topknot, and traditional tilak markings.

Sriya Reddy also features in the glimpse, while the visuals offer a look at the scale of the film. The film is part of filmmaker Prasanth Varma’s Cinematic Universe, which began with ‘Hanu-Man’. ‘Mahakali’ is directed by Puja Aparna Kolluru and features Bhoomi Shetty, Rohit Saraf and several other actors alongside Akshaye Khanna and Sriya Reddy.

On July 14, the makers announced that production on the highly anticipated epic had officially entered its final leg, bringing a monumental 125-day shooting schedule to a close.

‘Mahakali’ is presented by RK Duggal and produced by Riwaz Ramesh Duggal under the RKD Studios banner. The film will be released in theatres on January 8, 2027.