Biography

Praneet Akilla is an award winning Indian-Canadian Actor & Producer best known for his leading roles on The CW's Nancy Drew, Disney Freeform's Motherland Fort Salem, and Netflix's October Faction. He is a series lead on the Canadian Screen Award nominated medical drama -Skymed- on CBC Gem & Paramount Plus. Over the last 3 years Praneet has made the successful transition into producing a variety of critically acclaimed short films and digital series with his new production company Akilla Express, focusing on telling unique, genre-bending stories from a Third Culture Global Majority perspective.

Praneet produced and starred in the critically- acclaimed short film "Mom vs Machine". The short film has 6 Leo Nominations (B.C. Film & Television Awards) including Best Short Drama. With stops at Fantasia Film Festival, Whistler Film Festival, Reelworld Film Festival, and Brooklyn Horror Festival- the short film premiered on the Sci-Fi Streaming Platform- DUST in 2023. Praneet also produced a Telus Funded short film entitled Not For Us (Whistler Film Festival Premiere 2023, Vancouver Short Film Festival- Best After Dark Short Film Nomination). He is in development on a TV adaptation of the celebrated Canadian novel Junie with 100 Dragons Media Inc. and a new comedy/musical series called Raksha with funding from IPF & Canada Media Fund. Praneet is a recent graduate of the National Screen Institute of Canada's Access BIPOC Producers program.