Film Heritage Foundation Announces Festival for Akkineni Nageswara Rao's 100th Birthday

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.

Film aficionados across the country will have the exclusive opportunity to witness the remarkable versatility and powerful performances of the South Indian icon once again on the big screen in a curated festival of landmark Telugu films including ‘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)

Film Heritage Foundation and Akkineni Nagewara Rao family is presenting the countrywide festival in association with the NFDC – National Film Archive Of India and PVR-Inox.

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 include some of his biggest hits that will give people a chance to see his remarkable range as an actor and 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.”

Akkineni Nagarjuna states, “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. 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.”

Amitabh Bachchan states, “I am delighted that Film Heritage Foundation will be celebrating the legacy of Shri Akkineni Nageswara Rao – a pioneer of the Telugu film industry and an icon of Indian cinema –by releasing his restored films all over India to mark his 100th birth anniversary. I had the good fortune to meet him on several occasions and I was always struck by his humility and simplicity. This is the first time a retrospective on this scale has been done for Telugu cinema in a manner befitting his stature. The festival is in keeping with Film Heritage Foundation’s commitment to bringing the heritage of Indian cinema back on the big screen the way these films were meant to be seen. This will give contemporary audiences an amazing opportunity to experience the tremendous screen presence, the versatility and the range of a legendary actor in Telugu classics like Devadasu, Sudigundalu, and Doctor Chakravarthy.”

Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary (Films) and Managing Director, NFDC-National Film Archive Of India states, “NFDC-NFAI is deeply honoured to collaborate in commemorating the birth centenary of Shri. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, by presenting seven timeless classics, restored in 4K from prints and negatives held in the archive’s collection. This event is not just a tribute to a legendary actor but also a testament to our commitment to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of Indian cinema. By bringing these masterpieces back to the big screen, we hope to evoke a deep sense of pride and nostalgia, allowing audiences to reconnect with the golden era of our film history. Our sincere thanks go to PVR-INOX for providing the platform to share these films with the nation, to Annapurna Studios and Film Heritage Foundation for their curation and planning, and to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for funding this endeavour under the National Film Heritage Mission.”

Versatility, humility and a powerhouse of talent. These are some of the words often used to describe Akkineni Nageswara Rao, or ANR or Nata Samrat, as he was fondly called. An actor and producer who worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil cinema, ANR was most famous for his work in Telugu cinema. In a career spanning 71 years and more than 250 movies, he was best known for his diversity of roles. He acted in mainstream movies and offbeat films, in mythologies, dramas and comedies. The trailblazer was the recipient of the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Raghupati Venkaiah Award, Filmfare Awards, amongst others. ANR established Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad that grew as a hub for the Telugu film industry ANR passed away on January 22, 2014 leaving behind two generations of actors, including his son the superstar Nagarjuna and grandsons Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni to carry forward his legacy.