Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte's gangster series Akka starts streaming on Netflix
The YRF Entertainment series, set in a fictional city ruled by women in 1980s South India, premiered on 30 October to mixed early reviews.
The Global Sun Desk ·
Netflix began streaming Akka, a Hindi gangster series starring Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte, on 30 October. Produced by YRF Entertainment, it is set in the 1980s in Pernuru, a fictional city in South India where women hold power.
In Netflix's description, Suresh plays Bhavani, the leader of Pernuru, and Apte plays Rudra, an outsider whose arrival unsettles the city's matriarchal rule and pushes its sisterhood into violence and a fight for survival. Monica Panwar, Anshuman Pushkar, Mahesh Manjrekar and Tanvi Azmi are among the supporting cast. Akka means elder sister in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, What's on Netflix noted.
How the release was built up
Netflix announced the premiere date on Saturday, 17 October, releasing a teaser on Suresh's 34th birthday, PTI reported. A trailer followed on Thursday, 22 October, according to The Hollywood Reporter India. The series was first announced at Netflix India's Next on Netflix event in 2025, What's on Netflix said.
Who is behind it
Akka is written and directed by Dharmaraj Shetty, for whom it is the first project as a filmmaker. Aditya Chopra, Yogendra Mogre and Akshaye Widhani are executive producers. Tanya Bami, series head at Netflix India, called Akka "the creative vision of Aditya Chopra" and part of the platform's continuing work with Yash Raj Entertainment.
That partnership has already produced titles including The Railway Men, Maharaj, Mandala Murders and the documentary series The Romantics. What's on Netflix said the agreement between Netflix India and YRF Entertainment was announced in 2021.
Suresh's National Film Award for Best Actress came for Mahanati (2018), in which she played the actor Savitri. PTI said the series is her first collaboration with Netflix and with YRF Entertainment. Apte has several earlier Netflix credits, including Raat Akeli Hai, Lust Stories, Ghoul and Sacred Games. In statements issued around the announcement, Suresh called Bhavani one of the most memorable characters she has played, while Apte called Rudra a fascinating character who acts on her convictions and is inclined to take on the world around her.
Early reviews
What's on Netflix's round-up found early reviews mixed and tilting negative: most critics liked the performances of the two leads but found fault with the script. The round-up listed a 2.5-star verdict from The Tribune, which credited the production values for the mood of the series but found the writing overly familiar.
The series arrived on Netflix worldwide on 30 October. What's on Netflix calls it a Hindi-language series and describes Suresh as a South Indian superstar whose first Hindi film was Baby John, released in 2024.