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Akhil Akkineni says he knew Agent would flop; felt pressure to recover money for producer: ‘That era of movies is done’

After the success of his recent film Lenin, Akhil Akkineni spoke about the failure of his previous film, Agent, and said he knew it wouldn't work.

Updated on: Jul 26, 2026, 21:35:25 IST
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Actor Akhil Akkineni recently tasted success with his recent release, Lenin, which saw him shed his urban boy image for a rustic role. Given that his last film, Agent, received lukewarm reviews and did not perform well at the box office, the success comes as a relief. The actor recently admitted that he knew his last film would flop and had even expressed his misgivings. Nonetheless, he says, he felt pressure to recover the producer’s investment.

Akhil Akkineni knew Agent wouldn’t work

Akhil Akkineni in a still from Surender Reddy's spy film Agent.
Akhil Akkineni in a still from Surender Reddy's spy film Agent.

Akhil talked about Agent on Raw Talks with VK podcast and stated that he didn’t respect himself as an actor while shooting for the film. “A film might not work for various reasons. 24 crafts have to come together to make a hit film. But if it doesn’t work out, I should at least be able to do my job well. Then I’ll be respected as an actor. And I didn’t respect myself in Agent. Did I not see it wasn’t working by the time I saw the first edit, or scenes? Am I seeing doubts? Yes, that happened,” said the actor.

In 2023, Akhil went through a makeover and built his body to star in Surender Reddy’s spy film Agent. The film was written by Vakkantham Vamsi and produced by Anil Sunkara and Rambrahmam Sunkara under AK Entertainments. Mammootty, Dino Morea, Sakshi Vaidya, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Vikramjeet Virk also starred in the film that was released amid high expectations. However, despite being mounted on a big budget, the film recovered less than 15 crore worldwide.

Akhil, who has faced ups and downs in his career since his 2015 debut with Akhil: The Power of Jua, took a three-year break from films. He returned to the screen this year with Lenin, written and directed by Murali Kishor Abburu, and jointly produced by Akkineni Nagarjuna and Suryadevara Naga Vamsi under the banners Manam Enterprises LLP and Sithara Entertainments, presented by Annapurna Studios. The film also stars Bhagyashri Borse, Ramki, Sivaji, Sunil, Brahmaji, and Easwari Rao. After releasing in theatres on July 10, the film has grossed over 60 crore worldwide.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeshita Nyayapati

Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.

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