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Telugu Cinema News Updated Jul 13, 2026

RGV Hails Akhil Akkineni as Best Actor in Family After Watching 'Lenin'

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has praised Akhil Akkineni as the best actor in the Akkineni family after watching his film 'Lenin'. RGV took to X to heap praise on Akhil's performance, swearing on his father Nagarjuna. The film 'Lenin' is an epic revenge and action drama set in a village, drawing inspiration from the Mahabharata. Akhil, who debuted as a child artist in 1995, achieved his commercial breakthrough with 'Most Eligible Bachelor' in 2021.

Ram Gopal Varma to Akhil Akkineni: You are the best actor in the Akkineni family

Mumbai, July 13

Maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has written a message for Akhil Akkineni, son of superstar Nagarjuna, and said that he is the "best actor" in the Akkineni family.

RGV took to his X, formerly called Twitter, to heap praise on Akhil and his latest release "Lenin," directed by Murali Kishor Abburu.

He wrote: "Hey @AkhilAkkineni8 Just saw #Lenin, and apart from the FILM being GREAT , I realised that you are the BEST ACTOR in the #Akkineni family."

The filmmaker said that he swears on his superstar father Nagarjuna for this comment.

As he added: "...and I swear this on @iamnagarjuna Your ease is remarkable even when there's no emotion in the scenes and in the emotional scenes you KILLED it. A BIG SHOUT OUT to #MuraliKishorAbburi for giving you AWESOME chords to PLAY."

The film, which also stars Bhagyashri Borse and Sunil, is an epic revenge and action drama set in the village of Srirampuram.

It draws heavy thematic inspiration from the Mahabharata, following the protagonist's quest to end a bloody, long-standing cycle of violence tied to a turbulent village festival.

The makers had released a glimpse video of the film on the occasion of Akhil Akkineni's birthday last year. The film's title glimpse opens with scenes reminding one of the final battle in the epic Mahabharata.

Talking about Akhil, Akhil debuted as a child artist in the film Sisindri in 1995. He made his debut as a lead actor with Akhil in 2015. He later went on to star in Hello in 2017 and Mr. Majnu.

He achieved his commercial breakthrough with the romantic comedy Most Eligible Bachelor in 2021.

Meanwhile, RGV, has directed films across multiple genres. He is popular for having gritty realism, technical finesse in his cinema. Varma is tagged as one of the pioneers of new-age Indian cinema.

— IANS

Reader Comments

Ananya R

RGV calling anyone the "best actor" is like a chef saying someone makes good instant noodles – means very little coming from a guy who made Laxmi Bomb and Aag. 😂 But good for Akhil, I guess. The Mahabharata inspiration sounds interesting, though.

Ravi K

Swearing on Nagarjuna for this comment? That's some next-level RGV drama! But seriously, Akhil has come a long way. His growth since Akhil (2015) is visible. While I wouldn't call him the best actor in the family (have we all forgotten Nagarjuna's range?), he definitely has potential. Hope Lenin does well at the box office.

Priya S

Love how RGV always has something to say about everything! 😅 But I'm genuinely curious about Lenin – Mahabharata-inspired action drama set in a village? Sounds promising. And Akhil deserves some recognition after struggling so long. Hope this works!

James A

Interesting to see RGV still engaging with Tollywood. Makes me wonder if there's a future collaboration in the works. The Mahabharat theme sounds epic. But best actor in the family? That's a bold claim – Nagarjuna has decades of iconic performances. Let's not get carried away.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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