Nagarjuna recalls father ANR found fame playing a woman on stage, was ready to kill himself due to ridicule

Nagarjuna opened up on father Akkineni Nageswara Rao at the ongoing International Film Festival of India, where he spoke about how he was ridiculed for his feminine traits.

3 min readGoaNov 22, 2024 02:49 PM IST

Akkineni Nageswara Rao is being honoured at the ongoing International Film Festival of India during his centenary year. (Photo: Express Archives)

Thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao is being honoured at the ongoing International Film Festival of India during his centenary year.is being honoured at the ongoing International Film Festival of India during his centenary year. His son and actor Nagarjuna discussed his work and achievements in a conversation with Kushboo Sundar at the film festival on Friday.

When asked how ANR was always passionate about acting with his mother being his first audience, Nagarjuna reminisced, “He came from a humble farmer’s family in Andhra Pradesh. My grandmother always wanted to have a girl child. She used to dress him up in women’s clothes, that is why he probably got into acting. He used to look very cute and pretty. Those days, women were not allowed to act on stage. So, he started playing a woman’s role and became a heroine on stage at a very young age of 15. We still have the photograph of him dressed up as a girl; he looked like my older sister Satya.”

Theatre led to films when a famous producer saw ANR walking towards a railway station. “He said nice eyes, nose, etc, called the boy and asked if he wanted to act and the rest is history,” Nagarjuna said. ANR went to Chennai and later recalled how he was swaying his hips during a shot because he thought that was acting.

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“He thought acting was that because he was playing a girl on stage. People started making fun of him and that really dejected him. He went to the Marina beach and he said that I want to kill myself. The water was till his waist, but something in him said that he had to prove everyone wrong so he came back. He corrected himself and he played Sri Rama. I also said that his voice was weak and feeble. So, he used to go to the beach to smoke a cigar because someone said that it can make your voice hoarse and rough. He never used to smoke till then. He used to scream at the ocean for 10-20 minutes. There wasn’t any dubbing back then, he had to use his own voice. But fortunately, his first film was a silent film. It was a huge success,” said his son.

Navya Kharbanda

Navya Kharbanda is an Entertainment Journalist and Cinematic Commentator at The Indian Express, where she specializes in bridging the gap between classic Bollywood heritage and contemporary Gen-Z perspectives. Her work is characterized by a blend of nostalgia-driven analysis and on-the-ground reporting from major film festivals and industry events. Experience & Professional Background Navya is a prominent voice on The Indian Express entertainment desk, known for her ability to secure candid interviews with both legendary veterans and rising stars. Her career highlights include: The Indian Express: Covers a wide range of topics from high-stakes box office analysis to in-depth celebrity profiles. She is a regular at major events like the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). SCREEN Interviews: Navya has conducted a series of "exclusive conversations" for SCREEN, featuring industry stalwarts like Anupam Kher, Vishal Bhardwaj, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and Suhasini Maniratnam. Archival Reporting: She is noted for her sensitive handling of archival interviews and retrospectives, recently covering the legacy of late superstar Dharmendra and the career reflections of the late Satish Shah. Expertise & Focus Areas Navya’s beat is uniquely defined by her "Gen-Z Revisit" series, where she re-evaluates cult classics through a modern lens. Her core areas of expertise include: Cinematic Retrospectives: Analyzing 80s and 90s landmarks like Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and Mohabbatein to explore how themes of romance and rebellion resonate with today’s youth. Industry Insights: Tracking the career resurgences of actors (e.g., Akshaye Khanna) and the evolving dynamics of film production and distribution in the OTT era. On-Set Dynamics: Reporting on behind-the-scenes stories from major productions, ranging from the technical challenges of Mirzapur: The Film to the work ethics of superstars like Shah Rukh Khan. South Indian Cinema: Expanding her coverage to include the impact of regional icons and the rise of pan-Indian fantasy epics like Magadheera. Authoritativeness & Trust Navya Kharbanda has established her authority by consistently providing "Journalism of Courage" in the entertainment sphere. Whether she is interrogating the sexism in patriarchal classics or reporting on the fair-pay debates at international film festivals, her work prioritizes factual accuracy and critical objectivity. Her ability to synthesize deep industry history with modern audience trends makes her a trusted source for readers seeking both entertainment news and thoughtful cultural commentary. ... Read More

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