The Akkineni family has long held a prestigious place in Indian cinema, with a lasting impact across both Tollywood and Bollywood. Yet, despite this illustrious lineage, young actor Akhil Akkineni has been waiting over a decade for consistent success. Of the seven films he has headlined, only one has seen moderate box office performance.
Part of the famed Akkineni dynasty, home to cinematic legends such as Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna, Amala, and Naga Chaitanya, Akhil Akkineni, the son of Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni, first appeared on screen as a child artiste in the 1995 film Sisindri, a remake of Baby’s Day Out (1994).
He later featured in a notable cameo in the 2014 family drama Manam, before making his debut as a lead actor in 2015 with Akhil, directed by VV Vinayak. Despite a sizeable budget of Rs 50 crore, the film grossed only Rs 35 crore and was deemed a commercial failure. Nevertheless, Akhil Akkineni was honoured with the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.
Akhil Akkineni ’s subsequent films also underperformed. Hello (2017), directed by Vikram Kumar, had a budget of Rs 40 crore but collected Rs 37 crore. Mr. Majnu (2019) suffered a greater loss, earning just Rs 22 crore from a Rs 30 crore budget. The most significant setback came with Agent (2023), a high-budget action film made for Rs 100 crore, which only managed a dismal Rs 10 crore in returns and reportedly faced hurdles in its OTT release.
His sole box office success remains Most Eligible Bachelor (2021), a romantic comedy directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar and co-starring Pooja Hegde. With a budget of Rs 25 crore and earnings of Rs 41 crore, it offered a brief reprieve in an otherwise turbulent career.
Despite recent setbacks, Akhil Akkineni remains in demand. According to a 2024 Times of India report, he is set to receive Rs 7 crore for his next venture.
Post-Agent, he is currently working on Lenin, directed by Murali Kishore Abbur and set against the backdrop of Rayalaseema. The film stars Srileela and is produced by Nagarjuna and Naga Vamsi. A teaser released on Akhil Akkineni’s birthday in December 2024 was well received by fans. Akhil Akkineni is also collaborating with UV Creations on Dheera, a film reportedly carrying a budget of Rs 100 crore.
In his personal life, Akhil Akkineni has experienced challenges as well. His engagement to Shriya Bhupal in 2016 was called off a year later. In 2024, he became engaged to Zainab Ravdjee, an artist from Mumbai and daughter of Hyderabad-based businessman Zulfi Ravdjee. The couple recently wed in Hyderabad in 2025.