Veteran actor Akkineni Nagarjuna made a deeply emotional revelation about his father, the legendary Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), during a session at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Friday. In a heartfelt account, Nagarjuna disclosed that ANR once attempted suicide due to relentless mockery over his perceived feminine mannerisms during the early years of his career.
Recounting his father’s journey, Nagarjuna explained how ANR, in an era when women were not permitted to act on stage, began his artistic career portraying female characters. “He first became a heroine on stage,” Nagarjuna shared, as quoted by Free Press Journal. He went on to describe a pivotal moment when destiny intervened. “He was at a railway station when the famous producer Ghantasala Balaramayya, who was sitting on a train, saw him and remarked, ‘Nice eyes, nice nose. Would you like to act?’ The rest, as they say, is history.”
However, the path to success was fraught with challenges. Nagarjuna recalled how ANR’s theatrical experience led to him adopting feminine mannerisms, which drew ridicule. “I distinctly remember him swaying his hips. He thought that was acting because he had done this on stage,” Nagarjuna said.
The constant mockery left ANR deeply dejected, leading to a turning point in his life. Nagarjuna revealed that his father once walked into the waters at Marina Beach, intending to end his life. “He went waist-deep into the sea but something in him told him to stop. He corrected himself and decided to fight back,” Nagarjuna said.
ANR even adopted unconventional methods to shed his perceived softness. “Somebody told him your voice becomes rougher if you smoke cigars. He didn’t smoke earlier. He also used to go to the beach early in the morning and scream at the ocean for 5-10 minutes to make his voice more hoarse,” Nagarjuna shared.
ANR’s perseverance ultimately paid off, and he emerged as a luminary in Indian cinema. Debuting in 1944 with Sri Seeta Rama Jananam, he went on to star in iconic films such as Balaraju, Laila Majnu, Tenali Ramakrishna, and Sri Ramadasu, carving a seven-decade-long career celebrated for its depth and versatility.
