It’s a woman’s world

Radhika Apte and Keerthy Suresh reveal the world of Akka at its trailer launch

Kabir Singh Bhandari

We were given a glimpse of the world of Akka, into the kingdom of Pernuru, with its two powerful houses led by rivals Bhavani (Keerthy Suresh) and Rudra (Radhika Apte). The matriarchal gangster saga shows a world shaped by generations of women, with a heady cocktail of power, legacy and rivalry.

The Free Press Journal asked director Dharamraj Shetty about one aspect of the trailer — the women calling the shots in relationships, promising love but not commitment. Was it partially influenced by the current dating app culture?

“No, not really. In my research, I read about how one of the communities down South had these rules — no marriage and lineage passing through women, and not splitting the family property or house. So that part came mainly from research,” Dharamraj replied.

When Radhika was asked about her portrayal of bold and challenging characters, she replied that, as an individual, she is a challenger, so it goes with the definition. “Rudra was a character that I’ve never played before. It’s a very dramatic, stylish character on the surface level. And internally, there’s a lot of complexity to her. That was something I found interesting,” Radhika explained.

“Dharma helped us get into the shoes of the character, because I would always have questions like where to start from. That’s where Dharma came in, and after a few look tests and getting into the costume, one gets the energy that comes from the character.

The entire process, including the script reading, was new for me, and I loved doing it. Compared to other sets, there were so many women here; it was fun,” Keerthy said, while talking about her experience. Akka also stars Tanvi Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Anshumaan Pushkar and Monika Panwar, among others. It will premiere on an OTT platform on October 30.