28 March,2026 05:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mahakali BTS Akshaye Khanna
Ever since Dhurandhar released, audiences have been raving about Akshaye Khanna's menacing act as Rehman Dakait. While his character ended in part 2, he has commenced shooting for his next big project, Mahakali. Filmmaker Prasanth Varma, on Saturday, penned a heartfelt birthday wish for Akshaye Khanna, in which he pointed out that it was an absolute honour to work with the Bollywood star and that he couldn't wait to show the world what they had created together.
Taking to his social media timelines to pen a birthday wish for Akshaye Khanna, Prasanth Varma wrote, "Happy Birthday #AkshayeKhanna sir, a true actor who proves that real talent doesn't need noise. Effortless screen presence, powerful performances, and unmatched class always stand out. It's an absolute honour working with you. Can't wait to show the world what we've created together! Updates coming soon! #Mahakali #Adhira #JaiHanuman."
He also confirmed that the actor has wrapped his entire portion of the shoot. With 100 days of filming already completed, the team has now moved into an intensive final 40-day schedule in Hyderabad.
For the unaware, Akshaye Khanna is playing the character of Asura guru Shukracharya in director Puja Kolluru's upcoming film Mahakali, which is a part of director Prasanth Varma's Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU). He will be seen in a striking new avatar, donning the saintly persona of a revered guru for the first time on screen. It may be recalled that Prasanth Varma, who is the showrunner for the film, had taken to his social media timelines to share the first look of Akshaye Khanna's character in the film several months ago.
Mahakali not only marks the next big chapter of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU) but also Akshaye Khanna's grand debut in Telugu cinema. The film is being awaited with keen interest, as it will be the superhero story of a woman.
Apart from this, the actor will next be seen in Siddharth P. Malhotra's Ikka, co-starring Sunny Deol. Khanna is likely to play the main antagonist against Deol in the film. It also stars Dia Mirza, Tillotama Shome, and Sanjeeda Shaikh in pivotal roles. The movie will be a direct-to-OTT release on Netflix.
