AWARD-winning actor Keerthy Suresh recently said she was instantly drawn to the world of her upcoming OTT series Akka and wanted it to be her first project in Hindi language. Written and directed by Dharmaraj Shetty, the gangster series set in the 1980s is set in Pernuru, a fictional kingdom shaped by generations of women who built, governed and protected it. The story follows Bhavani, played by Suresh, and Rudra, essayed by Radhika Apte, two formidable women whose differing perspectives and rivalries shape the power dynamics of the kingdom. Suresh, who made her Hindi film debut with the 2024 Varun Dhawan-starrer actioner Baby John, said really liked Shetty's vision for the project and was elated that he offered her the lead role.

 

"It is unique and a never-seen-before (world) and to see two women against each other. I'm so happy and glad I got to do this. This is the first project I signed in Hindi and I wanted this to come out first. But I'm glad I got to play a big part in it," she told reporters at the trailer launch of the series. "When Dharama came to me to narrate Akka, I didn't know what I was signing for. I heard the first episode and it took a while to understand the world because it is a unique world. The minute I finished hearing the first episode, I was like, 'I'm doing it'," she added.

 

Suresh is best known for featuring in Tamil and Telugu films such as Nenu Sailaja, Rajinimurugan, Sarkar, Penguin, Saani Kaayidham, Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Dasara and Baby John. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of actor Savitri in the biographical drama Mahanati (2018). The 34-year-old actor credited the director for helping her navigate the process of building her character, and said that the preparation for the series introduced her to a different approach of working style.

 

"Every time you get into a new character, like I always have a starting trouble, like where do we start, what are the details, how do we go ahead about it, and Dharma made it easy," she said, adding that they did several look tests, which helped her get into the skin of her character. Suresh also said the script reading sessions particularly was a new experience for her, and she hopes to carry this practice into her future projects "I loved all the process that we did on this show, the prep work that we did before shoot because that is very new for me, be it script reading or number of look tests, all these were new for me. I loved doing it and I want to keep doing it for all my films," she said. Produced by YRF Entertainment, Akka will debut on Netflix on October 30. ■