Amid his exit from Drishyam 3, Akshaye Khanna poses with director Puja Kolluru for a selfie on Mahakali set

Mahakali will mark Akshaye Khanna’s Telugu debut.

After his controversial exit from Drishyam 3, Akshaye Khanna, who is riding high on the success of his recent spy actioner Dhurandhar, has joined the sets of his forthcoming film Mahakali. The movie stars Bhoomi Shetty in the lead role as Maha. Last September, director Prashanth Varma unveiled the first-look poster of Akshaye, who plays Shukracharya in the mythological epic. The film also marks Akshaye’s Telugu debut.

Recently, director Puja Kolluru shared a year-wrap post on Instagram, which included a selfie with Akshaye on the film’s sets. Mahakali is the next installment in the Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU), touted as the first female superhero film of Tollywood, and is scheduled for an early 2026 release.

In the past week, apart from his portrayal of crime kingpin Rehman Daikat in Dhurandhar, Akshaye Khanna was also in the news for walking out of the Drishyam 3 franchise. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, the film’s producer Kumar Mangat Pathak said, “Success has gone to Akshaye Khanna’s head.” He also sent a legal notice to Khanna after his exit just days before the shoot.

“There was a time when Akshaye was nothing. That’s when I made Section 375 with him. Even then, so many people told us not to work with him because of his unprofessional behaviour. His energy on set is absolutely toxic. Section 375 got him recognition. Later, I signed him in Drishyam 2. He has got all the big offers only after Drishyam 2. Uske pehle woh 3-4 saal tak ghar pe baitha hua tha (He was sitting at home for 3-4 years before that),” Pathak added.

He did not hold back, stating that Dhurandhar’s success was primarily due to Ranveer Singh. “Also, it’s important to note that the Drishyam franchise is fronted by Ajay Devgn. Chhaava is a Vicky Kaushal film along with Akshaye. The same goes for Dhurandhar, it’s Ranveer Singh’s film. If Akshaye does a solo film, it won’t even collect Rs 50 crore in India. Forget the lifetime, if he thinks he has become a superstar, then he should try mounting a superstar-budget film with some studio and see who greenlights his film with that kind of budget.”