Earlier in April, we reported that actor Akshaye Khanna has joined the cast of Mahakali, the third outing in Prashanth Varma's PVCU, or Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe. On Tuesday, the filmmaker unveiled the character poster of the actor from the film, introducing him as Asuraguru Shukracharya.

In the poster, Akshaye is seen donning the ensemble of a sage, with just one eye, while another eye has a mysterious light to it. Sharing the poster, the filmmaker wrote, "In the shadows of gods, rose the brightest flame of rebellion. Presenting The Enigmatic #AkshayeKhanna as the eternal 'Asuraguru SHUKRACHARYA' from #Mahakali."

Prasanth, who has written the script, will be serving as the showrunner on this project. Puja Aparna Kolluru is the director for Mahakali, who previously helmed Martin Luther King starring Sampoornesh Babu. The film is said to be based in Bengal in the backdrop of a circus. As in Prasanth’s previous film, Goddess Kali, who is known as Mahakali in the region, is the divine connection point for this film. 

Mahakali will be produced by Riwaz Ramesh Duggal under RKD Studios and presented by RK Duggal. Smaran Sai composes the music, while Sri Nagendra Tangalla is the production designer. The film is set to release in major pan-Indian and international languages with the IMAX 3D format. The release date will be announced soon.

Prasanth Varma’s cinematic universe franchise, more popularly known as PVCU, remains one of the most anticipated projects in Telugu cinema. Prasanth had earlier announced Jai Hanuman and Mahakali as the second and third parts of the franchise.

Akshaye Khanna was recently seen in the Vicky Kaushal-Rashmika Mandanna starrer Chhaava, where he played the role of Aurangzeb.