ANR only actor to work still his last breath, says Venkiah Naidu

Former vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu hailed Akkineni Nageshwar Rao as a great actor and human being. "He was best among the actors and very best among human beings," said Venkaiah after unveiling the ANR panchaloha statue at Annapurna Studios today. The event also marks the centenary birthday celebrations of the legendary actor. "I truly appreciate the craftsmanship of sculptors since the statue has some life and looks close to his real self," he added.

He said that he had a personal rapport with the thespian Telugu actor, and they used to discuss many issues. "I think he is the only actor to have worked till his breath," he points out. He pats ANR for carrying moral values in reel and real life, too. "Many can emulate his discipline, hard work, and personal life since he was unique and inspirational," he adds. Talking about the Telugu language, he added, "I am glad to listen to ANR's grandsons speaking in fluent Telugu on the stage. I hope the new generation also understands the importance of their mother tongue," he concludes.

Popular actress Jayasudha claimed that she learned a lot from Akkineni Nageshwar Rao as she worked with him in a couple of films. "I started with a small character in his film and later did a few films as his heroine with his support and encouragement," she adds. She claims that he was like a 'walking university' as he had great knowledge about various topics in the world. "His immense knowledge has baffled me," she adds. She claimed that ANR wanted to change his acting style for their film 'Premabhishekam' in the 1980s. "He informed the director that he would be more subtle and realistic to connect with the new generation, and it worked," she informs. She claims that his work discipline is unmatched.

In his address, S S Rajamouli said, "I have no stature to talk about such a legend. But fortunately, I got an opportunity to spend some time with him in a room during an event and found him to be very jovial and knowledgeable," he says and adds, "I asked him why he did a comedy role in 'Missamma' while he was rocking as a hero with big hits like 'Devadas.' But he told me he wanted to explore varied roles, and I salute his confidence in his talent. I wanted to congratulate sculptors for this life-like statue," he concludes.