India, July 24 -- After a challenging last few years due to the underwhelming response to Agent, Akhil Akkineni went back to the drawing board and took a three-year break from screens. But it paid off as he recently returned with Lenin, which has emerged as his highest grossing film of his career. "I want to thank the Telugu audiences, every single one who came out and gave Lenin a chance without holding Lenin responsible for my past failures. They didn't hold Lenin responsible for my baggage, which I respect a lot," he says.

While things were professionally challenging, Akhil Akkineni didn't let it bog him down. "There have been so many people who kept a lot of faith and belief in me and I am the most relieved relieved for them. This is...