Filmmaker Prasanth Verma has released the first look picture of actor Akshaye Khanna from his upcoming movie, Mahakali. The actor looks unrecognisable in the new poster.

“In the shadows of gods, rose the brightest flame of rebellion 🔥 Presenting The Enigmatic #AkshayeKhanna as the eternal ‘Asuraguru SHUKRACHARYA’ from #Mahakali 🔱❤️‍🔥,” Prasanth wrote with the poster. The picture shows Akshaye in a stern look with long grey locks and a grey beard. He wears a large robe and has a silver glint in his eyes.

The look reminded many of Amitabh Bachchan’s Dronacharya from Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. “Amitabh Bachchan 40% Downloaded,” wrote a person. “Amitabh from kalki anukunna,” wrote a person. “

Another person thought the poster looked AI-generated. “Why this delay? If someone had asked Amitabh during the time of Kalki’s shoot, he would have given two stills right away. For this poster, your so-called artificial intelligence tricks must have been used a long time ago.”

About Mahakali

Earlier, Akshaye was confirmed to have been roped in for a pivotal role in Mahakali by sources close to the film’s unit. While unwilling to reveal whether he played the antagonist or a positive character, they told Hindustan Times, “All we could reveal was that his role would add intrigue and depth to the growing PVCU universe. His role would span across multiple films in the franchise and would prove to be an exciting addition. We were hoping Mahakali would be received as well as HanuMan was.”

The source also told us that the film had yet to go on floors, as Prasanth, who conceptualised the film, and director Puja Aparna Kolluru were working hard to finalise the cast and other details. “Prasanth was particular about whom he wanted to cast as the lead because this would be his first female superhero, and it required a certain charm while challenging beauty standards. Hopefully, all details would be ironed out soon, and the film would officially be rolled out,” said the source.

About PVCU

PVCU was launched last year with Teja Sajja’s superhero film HanuMan, inspired by Lord Hanuman’s lore. Its sequel, Jai Hanuman starring Rishab Shetty, was already in the works. Mahakali was positioned as the third superhero film in the franchise, based on Goddess Kali. The universe also included Adhira, featuring Dasari Kalyan as a character rooted in Lord Indra, along with a yet-to-be-titled film starring Mokshagna Teja.

Speaking to HT about Mahakali in October after the film’s announcement, Prasanth had said, “Casting a big star to play Mahakali is no longer challenging, but that’s not the point. Since the film was being made to challenge beauty standards, I wanted to ensure we did our bit not to propagate them, too.” At one point, Karthi and Ranveer Singh were also attached to PVCU projects, but those plans did not materialise.