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It is impossible to look at everything we have achieved in the world of Indian cinema as Telugu people without understanding where we came from. Our past, and the icons who shaped it, have also inadvertently shaped our present and by extension, our future. One such distinguished person from the annals of cinema history, who has transformed the face of Telugu cinema for the better, is Akkineni Nageswara Rao.
Born as the youngest of five brothers in a lower-middle class family in the village of Ramapuram in Krishna District, Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) was associated with acting from the earliest stages of his life. Before going on to act in more than 250 films across three languages, ANR was a stage actor, playing notable roles in classical plays like Harishchandra, Telugu Talli and Satyanveshanam. He was discovered by Ghantasala Balaramayya, a prominent film producer of yore at the Vijayawada Railway Station, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The actor has made his stardom register amongst the audience strongly and that is no small feat at a time when NTR Sr was the reigning box-office demigod, with his umpteen portrayals of Sri Krishna. ANR was also, notably, a part of many mythological films. He played Vishnu in Chenchu Lakshmi (1958), Narada in Bhookilas (1958) and Arjuna in Sri Krishnarjuna Yuddhamu (1963). He is best known for his portrayal of Abhimanyu in Maya Bazaar (1957). He had also acted in many biographical films, where he reprised historical figures like Vipra Narayana, Tenali Ramakrishna, Kalidasa, Jayadeva, Jakkanachari, Sant Tukaram and Sant Kabir. This legacy of playing biographical characters was carried on by ANR’s son, actor Nagarjuna, who went on to play Annamayya, Ramadasu and Sai Baba at different phases of his career. What is very interesting about ANR is he played many gods despite being an avowed atheist, proving that commitment to the arts is his highest form of obeisance.
ANR is also known for being a romantic hero, featuring in cult classics like Laila Majnu (1949) and Anarkali (1955). He is also best known for his onscreen collaborations with NTR Sr and Savitri, featuring with these actors in multiple, back-to-back films. Some of their most iconic films together include Mayabazaar, Gundamma Katha (1962) and Missamma (1955).
In addition to his illustrious work onscreen, ANR is also known for being an influential member of the industry onscreen, and for good reason. For the longest time, the Telugu film industry was based out of Madras (now Chennai). He broke the pattern of Tamil dominance over Telugu cinema by insisting to have his films shot in Andhra Pradesh. He was later instrumental in shifting the base to Hyderabad, by founding Annapurna Studies (named after his wife), in 1976. Slowly but steadily, the rest of the industry followed suit.
As someone who had not received formal education in acting or filmmaking, he strongly believed that others must not feel this shortcoming. Keeping this in mind, his family went on to launch Annapurna College of Film and Media (ACFM). ACFM is one of Hyderabad’s first film schools. It is also India’s first private, non-profit media school.
Akkineni Nageswara Rao has also been a philanthropist. His charity organisations Akkineni Janmabhoomi Trust and Akkineni Annapurna Educational Trust have done a lot of work in the fields of rural development and education respectively.
His legacy in the world of arts, education and social service is now carried forward by his children and grandchildren.
