Telugu Cinema icon Akkineni Nageswara Rao's centenary to be celebrated with film festival

Titled 'ANR 100: King Of The Silver Screen', the festival will feature a compilation of 10 restored classics of ANR that will be screened from September 20-22, 2024, across 25 cities, including major metros like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru, and smaller cities like Vadodara, Jalandhar, Rourkela, Warangal, Kakinada, and Tumkur, as per the information shared by the team of FHF.

Cinephiles will get a chance to witness the magic of Rao's films, such as 'Devadasu' (1953), 'Missamma' (1955), 'Mayabazar' (1957), 'Bharya Bharthalu' (1961), 'Gundamma Katha' (1962), 'Doctor Chakravarthi' (1964), 'Sudigundalu' (1968), 'Prem Nagar' (1971), 'Premabhishekam (1981), and 'Manam' (2014).

Akkineni Nagarjuna expressed excitement about the festival where the audience will pay tribute to his late father.

"I am delighted that the Film Heritage Foundation is celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of my father with a festival of his landmark films across the country. He was rightly called Natasamrat for his amazing ability to play a range of roles from a saint to an alcoholic to a romantic hero in a way that has stayed in people's hearts and minds for decades. His performance in Devadasu has been acknowledged as one of the best across all versions of the film over the years, and his films like Premabhishekam, Doctor Chakravarthi, and Sudigundalu are loved even today," Nagarjuna said.

"He was a pioneer who established Annapurna Studios, laying the first foundation for the Telugu film industry in our state. We are very proud of his legacy, and through this festival, audiences across the country will remember an icon not just of Telugu cinema but of Indian cinema. We would like to preserve this legacy so that people will remember him for another hundred years. The entire Akkineni family would like to thank the NFDC-NFAI and PVR-Inox for partnering with us to make this festival possible," he added.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Filmmaker and Director, Film Heritage Foundation, states, "After the huge success of our Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, and Dev Anand retrospectives, we are thrilled to present another first-of-its-kind film festival of Telugu classics to honour the memory of a doyen of Telugu cinema--Shri Akkineni Nageswara Rao. The selection of films in this retrospective beginning from 1953 to 2014 includes some of his biggest hits that will give people a chance to see his remarkable range as an actor, why these films continue to have resonance with people decades after they were made, and why it is so important to preserve our film heritage. This is in keeping with our commitment to showcase the diversity of India's rich film heritage from every region of the country, and we have seen the enthusiasm of contemporary audiences for classic cinema during these retrospectives, with many of the screenings going house full."

Rao passed away in 2014, leaving behind two generations of actors, including his son Akkineni Nagarjuna and grandsons Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni. (ANI)