Mahakali: Jitin Gulati says Akshaye Khanna was chatty on set — exclusive

In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, Jitin Gulati reveals what it was like working on Mahakali, co-starring Akshaye Khanna, and how the pan-India project is shaping up ahead of its release. Gulati also discusses the teaser’s reception, noting that the response comes with increased responsibility given the subject matter.

Teaser reception
“The teaser of Mahakali has received unanimously positive feedback. Your thoughts?”
“It’s very reassuring to see that something that you’ve been working on for so long has been appreciated. But it also comes with its own set of responsibilities. Now, I think the expectations are sky-high. The responsibility is also more because, firstly, we are talking about a Goddess. Secondly, people are also very kicked about the way it has been presented. Hence, there’s a lot of joy right now along with a lot of responsibility.”

Landing the role
“I got my first film in Telugu, Fauzi, before Mahakali. I was shooting for that when I signed Mahakali.”
“After watching Hanuman in 2024, I was literally chasing Prasanth Varma. I found his contact and sent him my showreel, as I wanted to be a part of his world. I also knew he was in the middle of creating the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe and had announced a few films.”
“It so happened that a friend of mine was working on his team for sometime. I sent my showreel to my friend, who forwarded it to Prasanth sir.”
“At the same time, the two people who were attached to Fauzi were also working on Mahakali. They had seen my work on the set and the rushes of Fauzi. When they learned about a particular part in Mahakali, they recommended my name.”
“This is when Prasanth sir realized that he had my showreel already.”
“He then arranged my meeting with the director, Puja Aparna Kolluru.”

Creative vision
“As soon as she started talking about the character and her influences, I figured out that Mahakali would be a film that would provide a never-before experience. I am not just saying for the sake of saying it.”
“When we met, we spoke about films of Guillermo del Toro. She’s a huge fan of his films like Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and so am I. I also realized that there’s a lot of research, understanding and rootedness attached to it.”

Preparation
“The next day, I got a call that I was on. The role required a lot of physical transformation. They gave me time so that I could prep for it. In the meantime, we did a lot of workshops and dialect training.”

Directorial coordination
“Prasanth Varma directed Hanuman, while Mahakali is helmed by Puja Aparna Kolluru. Meanwhile, Prasanth Varma is also a part of Mahakali. What was the coordination like between the two?”
“I have seen this on Mahakali as well as Fauzi – the director’s word is final on a project. It’s especially sacrosanct in Telugu cinema. While Prasanth sir is like the backbone of the film and oversees everything, ultimately, Puja has the final say. The film has been conceptualized and written by Prasanth sir, so the larger vision comes from him. But what happens on set, how a scene is performed and whether the emotions are coming through correctly – all of that is Puja’s domain.”

“The entire team is also there to support the director’s vision. Hence, there’s a very seamless equation between Prasanth sir and Puja. Both of them were completely on the same page, whether it was something related to technology or the emotions of a scene.”

First meeting with Akshaye Khanna
“Mahakali features Akshaye Khanna, who’s on cloud nine right now, and rightly so. Do you recall your first meeting with him?”
“I do (smiles). I had always heard that he’s very reserved. But contrary to the perception, that particular day, he was very chatty (laughs). We spoke a lot. Dhurandhar (2025) had not been released then; only the teaser had dropped. Because the setup used to take a lot of time, he used to ask me what I felt about the teaser and the film. He was particularly chatty that day. Otherwise, I know that he’s very reserved. He prefers to be focused and doesn’t like to be distracted a lot.”

On meeting on day one
“It was the first day of the shoot when I properly met him. Since the make-up and prosthetics are so extensive for both of us, we never really got a chance to sit with each other without make-up, even during lunch. We would usually meet each other during final rehearsals or during the shoot. So, I met him straight away on the first day.”
“Of course, we had our costume trials and look tests here in Mumbai. That day, we just said ‘Hi, hello’. However, the first day is when we particularly spoke a lot!”

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