The legend lives on…

He is a reference volume for those who aspire and dream to grow in life and to reach crests seemingly impossible. He stood as a testimony for the dictum that hard work pays. He is ANR, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, a name that needs no words of familiarisation.

ANR was born on September 20, 1923, at Venkata Raghavapuram near Gudivada in Krishna district.
In an unbelievably long innings of 73 years as an actor, (1941-2014) he acted in over 250 films and wrapped up his work with 'Manam' that saw three generations of actors from his family; starring himself, his actor son Nagarjuna and grandsons Naga Chaitanya and Akhil in it.

From the fertile paddy fields of the Krishna delta, he stomped into the glittering landscape of cinema via the bridge of theatre. As a teenager, ANR was a noted stage artiste, specialising in playing female roles, because women at that time were reluctant towards acting. The feminine grace remained with him as an actor remained with him all through. ANR acted in stage plays like 'Harishchandra', 'Aasajyoti' and 'Satyanveshanam'.

ANR, off the screen, was not a handsome and fine-looking personality in the conventional sense. He was not quite tall, did not have those eye-catching eyes ascribed to the good looking men. But the flawed physique did not prevent him reaching the dizzy heights as an actor and a star for so many years.

He never got tired of moulding his natural deficiencies into acceptable traits through his indefatigable work, professionalism and a never dying perseverance. No wonder, because of his strict professional discipline, he earned occasional contempt from stray people around him, who could not digest this angle of excellence in him. Perhaps he thought of retaining his attachment to what he believed and in the process, got detached to those who do not cherish it.

A cultivator by birth, he had his own ecstatic links with the process of tilling, sowing and watering before anticipating the bountiful crop. He was an actor with the DNA of the farmer never dying in him. He was also a sculptor, to say so, who, in a long tryst of untiring hard work moulded the ultimate chiselled ANR from the clayish raw material.

ANR entered into movies at the age of 17. His first film was 'Dharmapatni' in 1941 made by Ghantasala Balaramaiah, who spotted ANR accidentally on a railway platform! However, ANR got his first lead role in ‘Sita Rama Jananamu’ in 1944.

ANR spent his formative years as a movie artist amidst devoted and steadfast technicians and this has further strengthened his inner urge for excellence. He was, of course, no exception to all the struggle and wrestle that a beautiful butterfly undergoes in the process of metamorphosing itself to gain the colour and glitter.

ANR stands as a formidable reference volume to aspiring and established actors of all times to gather valuable hints as to how to begin, how to grow and how to continue as an adorable actor and professional.
He had an amazing control on his body, his habits, thoughts as well as his aspirations. He deftly avoided all the traps and diversions that have ever been inseparable with the glamorous world of cinema. This was precisely the well-known secret behind his stardom.

He lived and breathed cinema till the end. Numerous aspirants to stardom must be missing in this area.
He proved himself in all categories of cinema - be it historical, mythological, folk, adventure and drama.
Curiously enough, during the first decade of his career as an actor, he featured in films based on folklore - like ‘Keelu Gurram’, ‘Balaraju’, ‘Maya Lokam’ and his suitability for lead roles in themes based on social drama was doubted.

With 'Devadasu' in 1953 he was accepted overnight as the unquestioned choice for meaningful, dignified and sensible portrayals in contemporaneous and spectacle-ridden films. Based on Sarat's Bengali classic, the film was an astounding hit of all times, both in Telugu and Tamil.

Peripheral commentators think that acting is a physical job, but it is actually a brain work. An actor needs to sharpen and update his powers of observation to help his on-screen performances. ANR had this quality in plenty.

“I did not know how a drunkard behaves when he is drunk. I learnt through observation. I observed how an intellectual behaves when he’s drunk, how a labourer who drinks toddy, behaves,” he once said, reflecting on his highly acclaimed role as ‘Devadasu’.

A self-proclaimed non-believer in God in real life, he delivered convincing performances in the roles of great devotees and saints in films ‘Mahakavi Kalidasu’, ‘Bhakta Tukaram’, ‘Bhakta Jayadeva’, ‘Vipranarayana’, ‘Budhimathudu’ among others.

ANR was amply aware of his limitations both on screen and off screen. He opted to stay away from the political limelight even after a persuasion by the late NTR who entered politics in 1983. NTR founded the Telugu Desam Party and became the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

“I’ve lived my life to the fullest and will continue to do so. I want heartfelt wishes but not sympathy," ANR, the composed man, spoke to the world in a media conference after doctors diagnosed him with cancer at an advanced stage.

The number of awards and accolades he received in his life are literally countless. He passed away on January 22, 2014, at the age of 90 at Hyderabad, leaving a never-to-be-ignored legacy as an actor, filmmaker and cinema icon behind him.

By: Rajagopal Tiruvayapati