Akkineni Nageswara Rao was an Indian Actor, Producer who primarily worked in Telugu Cinemas. In his 75-year career, he starred in many movies and is regarded as one of Telugu cinema’s two pillars.
He received many awards and accolades, including Nandi Awards, five Filmfare Awards, Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and Padma Vibushan. Check out ANR’s interview, in which he discusses his incredible film career and life.
Akkineni Nageswara Rao Wiki – ANR Wikipedia
Early life and background
On 20 September 1923, Akkineni Nageswara Rao was born into a lower-middle-class family in Ramapuram, Krishna District, which is now part of Andhra Pradesh.
Among five brothers, he was the youngest.
His parents, Akkineni Venkataratnam and Akkineni Punnamma came from a farming family. The economic conditions of his parents limited his formal education to primary schooling only.
Career
He began his career as a fine artist at the age of 10. Seeta Rama Jananam, the cult classic film, was offered to him by legendary filmmaker Ghantasala Balaramayya, who saw him at the Vijayawada Railway Station.
His previous film roles were supporting ones, but this film put him at the forefront of the public. Over his seven-decade career, he has appeared in more than 250 films, including Telugu Movies, Tamil, and Hindi Movies.
Throughout his successful career, he portrayed a wide range of characters, from supporting roles to leading roles to comedian roles.
Devadasu, a cult-classic film, is one of his many unique roles. He earned the nickname Natasamrat from his fans for his outstanding performance in this film.
Charity
As a social activist, Nageswara Rao played an important role. Under his Janmabhoomi program, he established the Akkineni Janmabhoomi trust for Ramapuram’s development.
He contributed to the development of his village’s economy by constructing Akkineni Varadhi (a bridge named after him). Moreover, he also built a water filtration plant in Ramapuram.
In 2005, he founded the Akkineni International Foundation to honor film industry contributors. In 2011, his family established the Annapurna International School of Film and Media as a non-profit organization.
A generous donor since the beginning of his career, Rao established scholarships at GITAM University (Vizag) in his name.
In addition to being a board member, Rao served as an adviser to the Department of Dramatics and Theatre Arts at Andhra University. He instituted gold medals to recognize students who excelled in acting and directing.
As a tribute to his wife, Annapurna, he established the Akkineni Annapurna Educational Trust in 2012.
Personal life
Born into a middle-class family, Akkineni Nageswara Rao grew up in Andhra Pradesh. He married Annapurna Kollipara on 18th February 1949.
The couple had five children: Venkat Rathnam, Nagarjuna, Saroja, Sathyavathi, and Naga Susheela, and 11 grandchildren, most of them are active participants in films and business practices.
He founded Annapurna Studios (established in 1985) in honor of his wife, who also presented several of its productions. Annapurna passed away in 2011 after a long illness.
As the chief donor and president of Gudivada College, which was later named Akkineni Nageswara Rao College, he played an essential role in the college’s development.
Death
Rao was diagnosed with stomach cancer on 19 October 2013 and underwent chemotherapy. Two weeks after undergoing a major laparoscopic surgery that some doctors feared he would not survive, he continued to shoot for his final film, Manam.
He made his last public appearance during Annapurna Studios’ foundation day celebrations on 14 January 2014. Sadly, Rao passed away a week later, on 22 January 2014. With full state honors and a 21-gun salute, he was cremated at Annapurna Studios on 23 January 2014.
A crowd of thousands attended the funeral to pay his last respects.
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