Akhil Akkineni (born 8 April 1994) is an American actor of Indian descent who works in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
films. Born into the
Akkineni family Akkineni is an Indian surname that may refer to
* Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao, popularly known as L. V. Prasad was a famous Indian film actor, producer and director
* Akkineni Ramesh Prasad son of Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao
* Akkineni ...
, he is the son of actors
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...
and
Amala. In his film career, Akkineni has earned several accolades such as two
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
. He is also the captain of
Telugu Warriors cricket team that competes in
Celebrity Cricket League
The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an amateur men's cricket league in India. It consists of nine teams of film actors from nine major regional film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is Brand Ambassador ...
.
Akkineni debuted into films as a leading child artist in his father's production ''
Sisindri
''Sisindri'' is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language comedy film directed by Siva Nageswara Rao and produced by Nagarjuna. The film stars Nagarjuna's son Akhil Akkineni (in his debut). Nagarjuna, Giri Babu, Tanikella Bharani, Sudhakar, Aamani, Sara ...
'' (1994), for which he won a
Filmfare Special Award
The Filmfare Special Award or Special Performance Award or Special Mention or Special Jury Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
It acknowledges a special and unique performance and encoura ...
. His first leading role as an adult came in the box office flop ''
Akhil
Akhil (in Devanagari: अखिल {{IAST, akhilā) is a Hindu/Sanskrit Indian given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle ...
'' (2015), although it won him the
Filmfare Best Male Debut. His first commercial success occurred in ''
Most Eligible Bachelor
''Most Eligible Bachelor'' is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar and produced by Bunny Vas and Vasu Varma on GA2 Pictures. It stars Akhil Akkineni and Pooja Hegde with music compos ...
'' (2021).
Early life
Akhil Akkineni was born on 8 April 1994 in
San Jose,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, U.S.
to actors
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...
and
Amala. He is of
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
descent from his father's side, and has
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
ancestry from his mother's side. He is the grandson of actor
Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1923 – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and producer, known for his works majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became on ...
, and half-brother of
Naga Chaitanya
Akkineni Naga Chaitanya (born 23 November 1986) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He made his acting debut with '' Josh'' (2009) and his breakthrough came with Gautham Vasudev Menon-directed ''Ye Maaya Chesave'' (2010). ...
.
Akkineni studied at Chaitanya Vidyalaya, later headed to Australia for two years. He returned to complete his studies at
Oakridge International School
Oakridge International School is an International Baccalaureate affiliated school located in Hyderabad, India. Oakridge International School provides the IBDP and CBSE syllabus. The school has stopped the IGSE syllabus recently and has introd ...
,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
. He pursued acting as a career at age 16 and enrolled in an acting course at the
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, a ...
in New York.
He also holds a
BBA from the
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...
.
Later in his teens, he pursued cricket and became a member in his father's Nag Kings team, in the 2010 celebrity Tollywood Trophy, which was a fundraiser for the Movie Artistes' Association. His match-winning half-century in the final against
Venkatesh Venkatesh is a given name and family name from the Indian subcontinent derived from Venkateswara, a Hindu deity.
Notable persons with the name include:
* A. Venkatesh Naik (born 1936), member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India
* A. Venkatesh (directo ...
's Venky Warriors, saw him secure the man-of-the-match and man-of-the-series awards. His performance saw him get called up to play for the Telugu Warriors in the inaugural
Celebrity Cricket League
The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an amateur men's cricket league in India. It consists of nine teams of film actors from nine major regional film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is Brand Ambassador ...
(CCL) in 2011. Since then he has regularly participated in the CCL tournament, winning the
2016 edition as captain of his team.
Career
As an infant, Akkineni debuted in his father's production,
Shiva Nageswara Rao
Siva Nageswara Rao is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He is especially known for his work in comedy films. His notable films include Money (1993 film), ''Money'' (1993), Money Money (film), ''Money Money'' (19 ...
's comedy ''
Sisindri
''Sisindri'' is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language comedy film directed by Siva Nageswara Rao and produced by Nagarjuna. The film stars Nagarjuna's son Akhil Akkineni (in his debut). Nagarjuna, Giri Babu, Tanikella Bharani, Sudhakar, Aamani, Sara ...
'' (1995), an Indian adaptation of ''
Baby's Day Out
''Baby's Day Out'' is a 1994 American adventure comedy film directed by Patrick Read Johnson and written by John Hughes, who also produced the film. Starring Joe Mantegna, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joe Pantoliano, and Brian Haley. The plot centers on ...
'' (1994).
In 2014, Akkineni appeared in a cameo in
Vikram Kumar
Vikram K. Kumar is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu and Tamil cinema. In 1998, he directed his breakthrough non-feature film, ''Silent Scream'', for which he won the National Film Award For Best Instructional Film. ...
's hit family drama ''
Manam
Manam, known locally as Manam Motu, is an island located in the Bismarck Sea across the Stephan Strait from Yawar on the northeast coast of mainland Papua New Guinea's Bogia District. The island is 10 kilometers wide, and was created by ...
'' (2014), which featured three generations of actors from the
Akkineni family Akkineni is an Indian surname that may refer to
* Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao, popularly known as L. V. Prasad was a famous Indian film actor, producer and director
* Akkineni Ramesh Prasad son of Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao
* Akkineni ...
. His brief cameo was an instant hit with the audience. He described his shoot for the film alongside his grandfather, father and half-brother, as "nervous and exciting". ''Manam'' went on to become as one of the most profitable Telugu films of 2014. Critics dubbed the film as a "classic" en route to it winning several awards, including
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
. He subsequently went on to make appearances in several commercials, notably for
Karbonn
Karbonn Mobiles is an Indian smartphone manufacturing company, founded in March 2009. It is a vendor of feature phones, smartphones, tablets and mobile phone accessories.
Karbonn is a joint venture between United Telelinks Ltd., a Bangalore- ...
,
Mountain Dew, and
Titan.
Akkineni's debut film as a full-fledged lead was
V. V. Vinayak's ''
Akhil
Akhil (in Devanagari: अखिल {{IAST, akhilā) is a Hindu/Sanskrit Indian given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle ...
'' (2015).
In order to prepare for the role, the actor enrolled in a stunt workshop with his personal trainer Kicha and attended workshops in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
for two months.
Produced by actor
Nithin
Nithin Kumar Reddy (born 30 March 1983 ), known professionally as Nithiin, is an Indian actor and producer who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Nithiin's work has earned him one Filmfare Award and two nominations for the Filmfare Award for ...
, the film began production in December 2014 and featured him alongside fellow debutante actress
Sayesha Saigal. The film released to poor reviews, and despite expectations, it was a disaster at the box office. Following this, he went on a two-year hiatus. In 2017, his second movie ''
Hello
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...
'' was directed by Vikram Kumar along with ''
Middle Class Abbayi
''Middle Class Abbayi'' (), also known as ''MCA'', is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Venu Sriram, Hrishikesh Bhargava and produced by Dil Raju. The film stars Nani, Sai Pallavi and Bhumika Chawla. Dev ...
'' and turned out to be a below par grosser at the box-office, despite garnering good reviews. Akkineni's third project, ''
Mr. Majnu
''Mr. Majnu'' () is a 2019 Indian Telugu language romantic comedy film written and directed by Venky Atluri, and produced by B. V. S. N. Prasad under Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra. The film features Akhil Akkineni and Nidhhi Agerwal in lead rol ...
'', was directed by Venky Atluri and co-starred
Niddhi Agerwal
Nidhhi Agerwal is an Indian actress who has appeared in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil and Hindi films. Agerwal made her acting debut in 2017 with the Hindi film ''Munna Michael.'' She made her Telugu language, Telugu debut wit ...
in 2019.
In October 2021, his fourth film, a romantic comedy titled ''
Most Eligible Bachelor
''Most Eligible Bachelor'' is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar and produced by Bunny Vas and Vasu Varma on GA2 Pictures. It stars Akhil Akkineni and Pooja Hegde with music compos ...
'' co starring
Pooja Hegde
Pooja Hegde (; born 13 October 1990) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Telugu films, in addition to Hindi and Tamil films. She began her career as a model and was crowned as the second runner-up at the 2010 I Am She–Miss Univ ...
, was released. It was produced by
Geetha Arts
Geetha Arts is an Indian film production and distribution company known for its works in Telugu cinema. It is established in 1972 by Allu Aravind. The company is based out of Hyderabad. It has produced around 60 films majority of them in Tel ...
Bunny Vas and Vasu Varma, and directed by
Bhaskar.
This film was a hit and gave Akhil the long-awaited box office breakthrough.
Personal life
In 2016, Akkineni was engaged to Shriya Bhupal, grand daughter of business tycoon
G. V. Krishna Reddy
Gunapati Venkata Krishna Reddy (born 22 March 1937) is a philanthropist and entrepreneur. GVK Reddy is the founder and chairman of GVK Group, a business conglomerate with a predominant focus on infrastructure development.
GVK Reddy also heads ...
. Their wedding was planned in 2017 but the engagement was later called off.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akkineni, Akhil
Living people
American male film actors
Male actors from San Jose, California
Male actors from Hyderabad, India
Telugu male actors
Male actors in Telugu cinema
1994 births
American people of Telugu descent
American male child actors
American people of Irish descent
American male actors of Indian descent
American people of Bengali descent
South Indian International Movie Awards winners
American emigrants to India
American expatriate actors in India
University of South Florida alumni
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni
Santosham Film Awards winners
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors