Akshaye Khanna as Shukracharya in Mahakali: Why the Asura Guru is pure cinema lore

Actor Akshaye Khanna’s look as Shukracharya, the Guru of the Asuras in Pooja Kolluru’s Mahakali, was unveiled last week. Now, the film’s first extended teaser, titled Shukracharya’s War Cry, gives a much closer look at the character and places him at the centre of the brewing battle between Dharma and Adharma. From playing Rehman Dakait, treacherously assassinated by his protg in an Et tu, Brute? moment in Dhurandhar (2025), to now returning as a mentor who possesses Sanjeevni Vidya, the mystical knowledge of bringing the dead back to life, Khanna once again finds himself in a fascinating mentor role.But the teaser suggests that Shukracharya is not simply another figure preparing for a war between good and evil.