Actor Akhil Akkineni is making a comeback after three years with Lenin. His last film was the 2023 flop Agent. His father, actor Nagarjuna, is confident about the project and has come on board as the co-producer. At a press meet for the film, Nagarjuna spoke about Akhil facing setbacks in his career and requested to avoid comparisons with the career of the previous generation in his family. (Also read: Proud Nagarjuna shares 1st review of son Akhil Akkineni’s upcoming film Lenin; internet doubtful about ‘re-re launch’)
What Nagarjuna said about Akhil
Nagarjuna said, “There is always pressure on Akhil because of our family legacy. When I began my career, I had the same kind of pressure as well. It has always been a problem. Let us not compare his career with mine; we are not supposed to do this to anyone.”
“Akhil has done many films. Almost none of them worked, but he gave everything to them as an actor. There is a pain in him because of that. That pain is why he connected so deeply with a story like Lenin. And that is when I knew this film would work. That is why I came on board as co-producer… There’s a certain kind of sorrow in Akhil. This movie’s story fits it perfectly. The movie will be fantastic. After hearing the story, I felt this definitely needs to be brought to you. It felt right to me,” he added.
Earlier, Nagarjuna had revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that he has already watched the first cut of Akhil’s Lenin. He claimed that the audience will see a new side of his son in the film.
About Akhil Akkineni’s career in films
Akhil, the son of actors Nagarjuna and Amala, began his career as a child actor with the 1995 film Sisindri, when he was only a baby. He played a cameo in the Akkineni family’s 2014 tribute to ANR, Manam, but his debut was the 2015 film Akhil, which failed to impress. There was a relaunch of sorts with the 2017 romantic drama Hello, which received favourable to mixed reviews.
Akhil has since acted in Mr Majnu, Most Eligible Bachelor and Agent. The last one became the biggest flop of his career, collecting only ₹13 crore worldwide and being widely panned by critics and audiences. Murali Kishor Abburu’s Lenin also stars Bhagyashri Borse, who replaced Sreeleela in the film. The film is set to release in theatres on July 10.