ANR- Remembering the Titan of Tollywood on his 95th birthday

On this day of 20th Sept in 1924, a Legend was born! Remembering the great man, Founder/Chairman of Annapurna Studios and Annapurna International School for Film and Media, Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, fondly known as Dr. ANR, on his Birth Anniversary.

A good human being, a gifted actor and a great inspiration – Akkineni Nageswara Rao was all these and much more. Today on his 95th birth Anniversary, we take a look back at the legendary journey of 75 years of A.N.R., in the film industry.

On Akkineni Nageswara Rao's 95th birthday, it is worth reminiscing the artistry of the actor.

Right from when he made his debut in "Dharmapatni" at the tender age of 17 years to his last ever acting venture "Manam," A.N.R., was a part of over 200 films (244 to be precise.) Nageswara Rao was an artist of diverse genres and his films ranged from skilled comedy, to tragic romance, to socially-oriented message propaganda.

He was a pioneer of the Telugu film industry and indeed helped in forming the foundations of the organization in Hyderabad. Unsurprisingly, he founded the Annapurna Studios that has now come to see many acting talents being produced within its walls.

A.N.R., was also felicitated with the Padma Shri (1968,) Padma Bhushan (1988) and Padma Vibhushan (2011) during his tenure apart from the many many other film awards that were conferred upon him. All these commendable achievements aside, A.N.R., also did his bit for society.

He built the Akkineni Janmabhoomi trust to bring about the development of his home town, Ramapuram. Not only this, he even instituted the Akkineni International Foundation to honor the major contributors of the Telugu film industry.

Many such more incidents can be quoted here embellishing the man that Nageswara Rao was. But sadly, the body was laid to rest in January 2014 after he was detected with colon cancer.

In a career spanning seven decades, Nageswara Rao has acted in 250 films and won a legion of fans for his varied subjects and characters. Apart from being a star, ANR was a prolific writer.

Most of his books were autobiographical works, the most famous of which are Nenu Na Jeevitham, the memoirs of his first visit to the US, Nenu Choosina America, and a poetic rendition of his personal thoughts, A Aalu.

On Akkineni Nageswara Rao's 95th birthday, it is worth reminiscing the artistry of the actor. Here's a brief history on the iconoclastic actor and his five best performances.

Devadasu (1953):

Directed by Vedantam Raghavaiah, the film focuses on the iconic love story of Devadasu and Parvati, who have been in love since childhood.

Upon release, the film received both critical and commercial success, especially Nageswara Rao as Devadasu gave a stellar performance.

The film has achieved cult status, with terms and phrases from the film being widely cited. Devadasu also became a major breakthrough in Nageswara Rao's career

Mayabazar (1957):

Often regarded as the classic fantasy film, Mayabazar is considered a landmark in both Telugu and Tamil cinema, with praise for its cast and technical aspects, despite the limitations of technology at the time. The story is an adaptation of the folk tale Sasirekha Parinayam, which in turn was based on the epic Mahabharata.

It tells the story of Krishna (NT Rama Rao) and Ghatotkacha (SV Ranga Rao), who try to reunite Arjuna's son Abhimanyu (Nageswara Rao) with his love and Balarama's daughter Sasirekha (Savitri). The success of the film was so much that it made look some of the Hollywood films pale in comparison of that time.

Aradhana (1962):

Directed by V Madhusudhan Rao, Aradhana is a love story involving four characters based on the Bengali film Sagarika. It is still regarded as one of the finest love stories of the Telugu cinema.

Apart from Nageswara Rao, actor Savitri was lauded for her homespun character which is mixture of love, sacrifice, responsibility, and service.

Prema Nagar (1971):

Based on the novel written by Koduri Kausalya Devi, Prema Nagar was the all-time blockbuster of that time. The newness in storytelling was widely appreciated and the film was remade in Tamil as Vasantha Maligai with legendary Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan and in Hindi as Prem Nagar with Bollywood megastar Rajesh Khanna. Both the versions were declared blockbusters and the Telugu version ran for over 750 days.

Manam (2014):

Manam was the last film of Nageswara Rao, which was promoted as a "befitting send off" and a tribute from his son, Nagarjuna. he film is set in various time periods, over the course of a hundred years up until 2013, and deals with the concepts of rebirth and eternal love.

The film also brought together his son and Tollywood superstar Nagarjuna, his grandsons Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni, and his daughter-in-law Amala Akkineni. Manam opened to rave reviews and outstanding reception from the audience.

Interestingly, one of the versatile actors of Indian cinema, Kamal Haasan, who watched the film at a special screening said that he could not control his tears.

Although the flesh has floated, his spirit remains behind in the industry. He taught us how to be good, spread kindness and take everything the way it comes.

His last movie "Manam," certainly sums up his life and ideals – that we are all in this together and as basic human beings, it is our duty to support each other. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, truly, lives on.