The legendary actor, the last surviving member of the golden era of Telugu movies of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, passed away this morning of cancer.
One of the best-known Telugu actors of all time, and winner of almost every cinema award there is, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, 90, passed away early this morning in his sleep at Care Hospital, where he had been admitted a day earlier for cancer-related complications.
Known also as ANR, the actor was a contemporary of such Telugu film legends as N T Rama Rao, S V Ranga Rao, Savitri, Krishna, Gummadi, Relangi and Satyanarayana, and was a colossus who strode the Tollywood landscape for 6 decades.
A legend in his own right, he had been suffering from cancer in the recent past, and had recently released a public statement confirming the fact but stating that there was nothing serious.
ANR has starred in most of the classics of Telugu cinema, including Maya Bazaar, Missamma, Gundamma Katha, Devadas, Bhoo Kailas, Mooga Manasulu, Anarkali, Manchi Manasulu, Prem Nagar, Andala Ramudu, Bhakta Tukaram, Megha Sandesam and Premabhishekam.
His career continued into his 60s, 70s and even 80s, with supporting roles in big-budget movies including Sri Rama Rajyam and Sri Ramadasu. In the 90th year of his life, he had been acting in the movie Manam starring his son Nagarjuna and grandson Naga Chaitanya, which is incomplete.
ANR was born on September 20, 1924, in Ramapuram of Andhra Pradesh, and acted in Telugu theatre in his early days. Rather diminutive (he was 5' 7") by lead actor standards, he rose to surprising heights in the Telugu film industry, being one of the top 2 actors (along with NTR) all through the 50s and 60s.
A stellar career saw him, as mentioned above, being part of some of the biggest hits of classic Telugu cinema. Songs featuring him and rendered by Ghantasala continue to be played in Telugu homes even today.
His son Akkineni Nagarjuna rose to superstardom in Tollywood, too. And his grandson Naga Chaitanya is now seeking to do the same.
The last surviving member of the golden era of Telugu movies of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Akkineni Nageswara Rao will be sorely missed by a couple of generations of Andhra Pradesh, including your parents. And very likely, you.