Akkineni Nageswara Rao

Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Rao in 1951
Born(1924-09-20)20 September 1924
Died22 January 2014(2014-01-22) (aged 89)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Film producer
Years active1941–2014
Spouse
Annapurna
(m. 1949)
Children5, including Nagarjuna
FamilyAkkineni–Daggubati family
Awards

Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924[1] – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer, known for his work majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became one of the most prominent figures of Telugu cinema.[2] Akkineni received seven state Nandi Awards, and five Filmfare Awards South. He is a recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award and Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of Art and Cinema.[3][4][5]

Akkineni is known for his work in biographical films. He portrayed the Tamil saint Vipra Narayana in the 1954 film Vipra Narayana; Telugu poet Tenali Ramakrishna in the 1956 film Tenali Ramakrishna, which received the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film; the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa in the 1960 film Mahakavi Kalidasu; the 12th century Sanskrit poet Jayadeva in the 1961 film Bhakta Jayadeva; the legendary sculptor Jakanachari in the 1964 film Amara Silpi Jakkanna; the Marathi saint Tukaram in the 1971 film Bhakta Tukaram; 15th century mystic poet Kabir in the 2006 film Sri Ramadasu; and Sanskrit poet Valmiki in the 2009 film Sri Rama Rajyam. Similarly, he played many mythological figures such as Lord Vishnu in Chenchu Lakshmi (1958); Narada in Bhookailas (1958), and Arjuna in Sri Krishnarjuna Yuddhamu (1963).

He is also remembered for his performances in romantic dramas Laila Majnu (1949), Devadasu (1953), Anarkali (1955), Batasari (1961), Mooga Manasulu (1964), Prema Nagar (1971), Premabhishekam (1981), and Meghasandesam (1982).[6][7] He also starred in the blockbusters Balaraju (1948), Keelu Gurram (1949), Ardhangi (1955), Donga Ramudu (1955), Mangalya Balam (1958), Gundamma Katha (1962), Doctor Chakravarty (1964), Dharma Daata (1970), and Dasara Bullodu (1971).[8][9]

He was one of the instrumental figures in the shifting of the Telugu film industry from Madras to Hyderabad in the 1970s.[10][11] He established Annapurna Studios in 1976 to provide infrastructural support to Telugu cinema in Hyderabad.[10] He later started the Annapurna International School of Film and Media within Annapurna Studios in 2011.[12] Manam (2014) was the last film of Akkineni, who died on 22 January 2014 during the film's production phase. Manam was featured at the 45th IFFI in the Homage to ANR section on 29 November 2014.[5]

  1. ^ "Nageshwara Rao Akkineni Biography | Nageshwara Rao Akkineni Girlfriend, Wife, Family & Net Worth - FilmiBeat". www.filmibeat.com. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  2. ^ Shankar Dayal Sharma (1997). President Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma: January 1995 – July 1997. Publication Divisions, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, AGovernment of India. p. 74. ISBN 9788123006147.
  3. ^ "Akkineni Nageswara Rao lived and breathed cinema". Rediff.com. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  4. ^ "ANR, Actor Par Excellence, Student and Humanist". The Indian Express. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Romance Is All". Outlook India. 14 October 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  7. ^ Ranjana Dave (30 June 2011). "The meaning in movement". The Asian Age. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  8. ^ "ANR – Telugu cinema stars". Idlebrain.com. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Netizens Remember Legendary Actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao on his 97th birth anniversary". The Times of India. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  10. ^ a b Reddem, Appaji (22 February 2022). "Tollywood's great dilemma". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 September 2022. After convincing producers and directors to shoot several movies in erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, actor and producer Akkineni Nageswara Rao founded Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad in the 1970s.
  11. ^ Sengupta, Pallavi (22 January 2014). "Telugu filmstar Akkineni Nageswara Rao no more". OneIndia. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  12. ^ "About Us". Annapurna Studios. 13 August 1975. Archived from the original on 19 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search