Akhil Akkineni's widely used fan nickname "Ayyagaru" traces back to a single die-hard fan named Nagaraju, from Andhra Pradesh. Since the release of Lenin recently, Akhil, his father Nagarjuna, producer S Naga Vamsi and others have actively promoted the fan and the title. A video clip of Nagaraju getting emotional as he finally meets Akhil, touching his feet and hugging him while sobbing uncontrollably, has been shared by the official social media handles of Annapurna Studios.
Nagaraju is deemed the first fan of Akhil. Don't know if he fell in love with the actor while watching his 30-second cameo in Manam, but by the time Akhil's debut movie, Akhil, got released in theatres, he had become a "die-hard" fan. His 'Ayyagare No. 1' slogan, raised possibly in a drunken state, didn't seem rehearsed or orchestrated. No Akkineni fans association seems to have tutored him. It was spontaneous.
For years, 'Ayyagaru' was used by Akhil's critics/trolls, not fans. On social media, many mockingly deployed the title to amuse themselves. Ahead of the release of Agent in 2023, Akhil himself acknowledged the title and addressed the fan, saying, "I don't know who you are but I want to meet you once." Agent's disastrous run delayed the meet-and-greet moment by three years.
It's strange that the Akkineni family is publicizing this one "fan", who probably raised the slogan in 2015 purely for fun. Many do a lot of funny things in front of the camera. And this guy got carried away because of the mood outside the theatre.
