Mahakali First Glimpse Review: Akshay Khanna Makes PVCU More Grand As He Turns Shukracharya – Forget Dhurandhar, This Is The Transformation He Needed!

Akshaye Khanna has entered PVCU as Shukracharya and in this Dharma VS Adharma battle he is a sure shot winner - Mahakali first glimpse review!

- August 24, 2026 | 7:59 PM IST

Mahakali: Shukracharya's War Cry Teaser — Mahakali: Shukracharya’s War Cry Teaser (Photo Credit: YouTube)

Following the global success of Hanu-Man, creator Prasanth Varma is expanding the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU) with its most ambitious installment yet: Mahakali. Helmed by debutant director Puja Aparna Kolluru, the first glimpse of India’s first female-led mythological meets religion meets superhero saga has finally dropped, and it delivers pure goosebumps.

While Bhoomi Shetty commands the screen in the titular avatar, the first look presents Bollywood powerhouse Akshaye Khanna as Shukracharya – Guru of the Daityas. Making his debut in Telugu cinema, Khanna delivers a transformation that instantly redefines his career in a jiffy!

Mahakali’s first glimpse will make you forget Akshaye Khanna’s menacing role in Dhurandhar or his intensity in Chhaava. This is the physical and performance transformation Akshaye Khanna truly deserved, and for me, this clearly is the transformation of the year!

As Asuraguru Shukracharya, the eternal mentor of the Asuras and master of the Akshaye Khanna, radiates absolute authority. Sporting a long silver beard and a single-eyed mystic glint, he is practically unrecognizable. The background dialogues push the glimpse towards brilliance, raising some very sharp questions.

The glimpse positions Mahakali as a massive visual spectacle. The frames construct a compelling narrative around identity, discrimination, and the eternal clash of Dharma VS Adharma. The first glimpse of the film hits all the right notes, elevating the visual standards of the PVCU.

I am hooked to the narrative this glimpse has set. It digs into why Shukracharya feels cheated – the Devas walked away with the Amrit during Samudra Manthan, while the Asuras were banished to the Pataal Lok, and that injustice is what fuels his war against the gods. To really drive the point home, he unleashes the demon Raktabeeja on mankind, which sets the stage for an epic battle!

If there’s one thing that is a mood spoiler, it’s that this glimpse, this one loaded with mythology and mood, leaves you wanting the full trailer immediately. Patience is the only villain here.

The PVCU is clearly expanding in scale, and with Mahakali, it’s staking claim to something bigger, darker, and far more rooted in Indian mythology than anything before it. Between Akshaye Khanna‘s career-best transformation and a genuinely epic Dharma-vs-Adharma premise, this glimpse leaves you restless!

Check out the glimpse here.