Akhil Akkineni awaits the theatrical release of 'Agent' on April 28. In this interview, the young actor talks at length about the movie. The 'Mr. Majnu' star enjoyed the crazy journey of doing the spy actioner.
Amid talk that the budget of 'Agent' is too high, Akhil clarifies that it is the script that necessitated the budget. It's not like he influenced the producer (Anil Sunkara) to spend a bomb.
Akhil suggests that everything from his get-up to his look and characterization are unconventional and crazy in the movie. Sakshi Vaidya's screen time is limited in the movie but she is going to bowl over the audience. "In fact, the director cautioned me to be careful not to be overshadowed by her," Akhil indicated.
Action is a genre I love a great deal. I like films adhering to the larger-than-life template. When director Surender Reddy, whose leading men are cracked, came to me with the offer of making an action film when I was filming for 'Most Eligible Bachelor' (which belonged to a genre Akhil is admittedly not so fond of), I was fascinated. I knew he would be doing an action drama with me but the sub-genre of spy film was not yet finalized at first.
'Agent' is a new experience. It's a raw spy world whose story spans countries. While spy films have been seen in Telugu, 'Agent' is still going to deliver a unique experience.
My characterization is attuned to wildness. He is nicknamed Agent Wild although his real name is something else. He is unpredictable and messy. His behaviour is in contrast to how spies are supposed to be. He is not in the shadows, unlike real-life spies. All hilarity emanates from his characterization. That's why we didn't need to cast comedians. Even in action scenes, he tries to elicit humour.
There is no element of Islamic terrorism in 'Agent'. It's about a Syndicate, as the trailer showed. Mammootty's character, I feel, is going to be special. The budget of the film is worth it for an actor of his stature. There is a strong reason why his character picks my character for a mission. He wouldn't do a movie (in languages other than Malayalam) unless the script is so good. His presence on set would prod me to push my limits. (Mammootty is unlikely to promote 'Agent', as he is mourning his mother's passing away).
I have to keep doing something fresh every time if I have to cater to the Telugu audience. If I follow the beaten path, people won't take to me significantly. I want to go the extra mile for every film that I am going to do. Otherwise, in the OTT era, the audience won't be willing to show interest in watching me on the big screen.
I thought it will take four months for me to hone a suitable physique for 'Agent'. It took ten months in the end. The director wanted to see a drastic transformation in me so that the audience's memory of my previous movies is erased.
My previous performances were understated. In 'Agent', I had to behave like a monkey. It was like a shy person standing naked in front of others. I had to look energetic in every scene. Sometimes, I would have self-doubts sitting in the caravan. I had to push myself in order to advance as an actor.
Action genre is limitless. We can make dramatic actioners, emotional actions and a lot more in it. I am ready to explore multiple options in the genre for the next five projects.
'Baahubali 2' and 'Pokiri' are among my all-time favourites. Incidentally, 'Agent' is coming out on the date those films were released (April 28). I must have watched 'Pokiri' fifty times so far.
I can't depend on my father forever. I am carving my own path. I am thinking for myself and taking my own decisions on the career front. I have been working for almost 7-8 years. I do take advice from him. He is like an Encyclopedia with decades of experience. But I can't exert pressure on him to think for me and take decisions on my behalf. It is my dream to do a full-fledged movie with my father, provided the script is pitch-perfect. It will be a film of a lifetime and so, it has to be impeccable.
I will start shooting for my next project in June. It will be released in a year. Films are not going to take just 4-5 months these days.
I have handled guns in 'Agent' but I am not at all fond of them in real life. I have barely toyed with guns!
'Agent' is not a delayed project. My director was so sick for 3.5 months that he couldn't even walk during the Covid pandemic. He was admitted to a hospital in Budapest, Hungary. Moreover, this is a big-scale movie that had to be shot over 15 months (110 or so working days). By announcing the project on Day Zero, we did a mistake. We should have made the announcement a little late.
