Telugu cine star Nagarjuna’s younger son Akhil Akkineni got engaged to his girlfriend of four years Shriya Bhupal on December 9. He is gearing up for a destination wedding in Italy in the new year.

Talking about the engagement, Akhil said: “It was meant to be a quiet family affair. There were around 200 guests — all close family members and friends — including some from Mumbai. The ceremony went off well. And now we’re looking forward to our wedding.”

The wedding won’t happen in Hyderabad, and logistics have a role to play there.

“It’s impossible! We’d have to invite too many people. The engagement guest list was restricted only to family and close friends. But for the wedding, we would have to invite a lot more people.”

Then there are the gatecrashers to consider, fans and admirers of three generations of Akkineni family wanting a peep at the couple.

Sighs Akhil: “Which is why we decided on a destination wedding in Italy for sometime in May 2017. We’re trying to figure out the date.”

A joint wedding with his elder brother Naga Chaitanya is ruled out.

“Chaitanya has announced that he is getting engaged in January 2017. He hasn’t said anything about his wedding plans as yet. So, a joint wedding is out. Besides, he is of a completely different temperament from me. He has just a handful of friends and he will invite only those very close to him to his wedding.

“Whereas I have a far wider social circle and would have to invite a lot of friends to my wedding.”

Akhil is currently shooting for his next Telugu film.

“It’s directed by Vikram Kumar. His thought and approach to cinema is completely new age. At the same time, we can’t stray away too far from our cultural roots in pursuit of a global slickness. In that case, we end up looking like wannabe Hollywood.”

The young actor hopes marriage will bring luck to his career.

“I see marriage as a new beginning in my life. And this may be the actual beginning of my career as an actor.”