Akhil Akkineni to play villager ?

After essaying sophisticated roles in films like 'Hello' and 'Mr Majnu,' young actor Akhil will be reportedly playing a lungi-clad villager in his upcoming movie to be directed by Prashanth Varma. "Akhil will be seen in a new avatar and would be playing a lungi-clad villager in this rural-centric extravaganza because he was excited with the interesting plot," says a source, close to the actor.

Apparently, Akhil has already green-lit the script and asked Prasanth to develop a comprehensive screenplay. Without losing any time, the director is currently on the verge of giving finishing touches to the script while Niranjan Reddy of Matinee Entertainments will be bankrolling the project.

The source adds, "Akhil has informed the director that he would be available from January next after finishing his work with director Bhaskar and Prasanth is raring to go," he adds.

After directing senior actor Dr Rajasekhar in 'Kalki', the young director will be working with a new-age star and both have stuck a chord. "Many heroes are showing interest to work with Prashanth because he comes up with refreshing ideas," the source adds.

Nonetheless, Akhil joins his colleagues Ram Charan, Naga Chaitanya and Mahesh Babu in playing a 'protagonist' in village-based stories.