Excited about Akshay Kumar in Kannappa? Here's how previous Bollywood-star cameos fared at the box office

Akshay Kumar is all set to make his Telugu debut with Vishnu Manchu's Kannappa, which hits the screens on June 27, 2025. The Bollywood star has a key role and will be seen as Lord Shiva in the big-budget period drama. Along with Akshay, the likes of Mohanlal and Prabhas have also done cameos in the film, and this aspect has created a lot of hype.

Akshay Kumar gears up for his Telugu debut with Kannappa

This is not the first time that a big Bollywood star has done a cameo in a Telugu film. The likes of Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt did cameos in Rajamouli's RRR. Their roles were loved by the audience and helped make the film a blockbuster hit at the box office.

Recently, Animal-fame Bobby Deol also did an extended role in Balakrishna's Daaku Maharaj. The action drama ended as a smash hit at the box office. Bobby was loved by the Telugu audience, and he will next be seen in the role of Aurangzeb in Pawan Kalyan's Hari Hara Veera Mallu.

On the other hand, the likes of Salman Khan have also done cameos in Telugu cinema. The superstar was seen in a small role in Chiranjeevi's Godfather. Though the chemistry between Chiranjeevi and Salman was loved by fans, the film did not click much at the box office.

Similarly, Sanjay Dutt was seen as the main villain in Puri Jagannadh's Double Ismart. Though his role was not much, the film ended as a big flop. In the past, Sunil Shetty also played a key role in Vishnu Manchu's Mosagallu, but that film ended as a dud at the box office.

While most of these cameos have worked in favour of the films, a few turned out to be a mixed bag and did not help much at the box office.

Kannappa has multiple cameos by big stars

These special cameos have been done by stars out of respect for the director or the lead actor of the film. Akshay has done a cameo in Kannappa as he respects Vishnu’s dad, Mohan Babu, and could not say no to his request. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal will also be seen in a cameo in Kannappa. He too has acted in the film just out of respect for Mohan Babu.

Vishnu and his team feel that Akshay Kumar playing Lord Shiva will turn the tables and bring in divine intervention. Let’s see what happens when Kannappa hits the screens.

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