Being AKHIL AKKINENI

AGENT & BEYOND

-  Rajeshwari Kalyanam

700 days of challenging oneself to consistently maintain a physique, of waking up in the morning and struggling with the urge to eat anything, if not the ice cream or burgers that he constantly craves for on a weak day, anything that he could get his hands on, of not missing the gym even for a day, of reminding oneself that it is that much more patience and conviction needed to get through it all – Akhil Akkineni has been super obsessed with his dream project for the last two years.

“Patience essentially means not just time, and in this case, it meant multiple efforts, which included constantly stay in shape, to put myself out there, get out of my comfort zone, and be so involved in the project,” shares Akhil, who is in his wildest form in ‘Agent’, his latest release. Directed by Surender Reddy, the film is an earnest attempt by Akhil to get out of his lover boy image and prove his mettle in his favourite genre – ACTION.

Though the film didn’t turn out to be a hit at the box office, it saw Akhil in a never before avatar. With his unruly curls, restless energy, loud and silly, and unpredictable and dangerous he put himself out there pitching in all his energy, attitude leaving behind inhibitions and shunning his earlier image. “It was difficult at times but I knew I was doing it for myself and for the film, and that kept me going, shares Akhil during an exclusive interview with Provoke Lifestyle.

Agent was one of the longest films to be made. What kept you going?