Happy Birthday Nagarjuna: 5 legends the actor brought to life
On Tollywood superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna's 57th birthday, we take a look at some of the legendary characters played by the Ragada actor.
Hailing from Hyderabad, Nagarjuna is the son of legendary Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. He began his acting career working as a child artist in his father's film Sudigundalu (1967). Though his entry in the industry doesn't quite amuse you, his filmi background didn't pave the way for his success.
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With nearly three decades in the industry, Nagarjuna established a niche among the Telugu audience by working in some of the masala action films like Mass, Don and Ragada, while he proved a performer by playing some of the iconic characters in films. Over the years, his ability to strike a balance between commercial and artistic films earned him the sobriquet- The King.
As the King turns a year older, we take a look at some of his career best performances:
Annamayya (1997):
Nagarjuna enacted the role of Annamacharya, who was the 15th-century Hindu saint and is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called sankeertanas in praise of Lord Venkateshwara. The film tracks the life story of Annamacharya, who is also touted to be known as the first composer in Carnatic music. Nagarjuna's portrayal received rave reviews and the film went on to bag two National Awards. The film was also premiered at the 1998 International Film Festival of India.
Agni Varsha (2002):
In the 2002 epic Hindi film Agni Varsha, Nagarjuna plays Yavakri, the son of the Bharadwaja, who is regarded as one of the greatest Hindu sages, whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. Though the film was an adaptation of Girish Karnad's Mahabharat play The Fire and The Rain, it failed to impress the audience and bombed at the box office.
Sri Ramadasu (2006):
After delivering blockbuster commercial films, Nagarjuna once again brought back legendary characters in his film. Based on the life story of Kancherla Gopanna, the 17th-century Indian devotee of Rama and a composer of Carnatic music, Nagarjuna received unanimous appreciation for his portrayal in the titular role. Apart from getting high critical acclaim, Nagarjuna won his third Nandi Award for Best Actor and the film was declared a blockbuster when it released.
Shirdi Sai (2012):
While the film tells the journey of the 19th-century spiritual guru Shirdi Sai Baba, who lived in western India, Nagarjuna's film opened to mixed reception from the audience. Calling it one of his career best performances, the critics couldn't stop praising Nagarjuna's performance as Sai Baba. Despite the initial mixed reviews, the film was a hit at the box office.
Jagadguru Adi Shankara (2013):
The biographical film tracks the story of Adi Shankar, a philosopher and a theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. In the film, Nagarjuna plays the role of Lord Shiva, who disguises as Chandala- a Sanskrit term for a person who deals with the corpses. Chandala proves to Shankara that all the people are equal before god. Jagadguru Adi Shankara fell flat at the box office, although Nagarjuna was praised for his small yet titular role.
Despite playing iconic characters in his films, Nagarjuna is often remembered for his cults such as Geetanjali (1989), Siva (1989), Ninne Pelladata (1996), Mass (2005) and Manam (2014).