HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAGARJUNA: Star of such iconic films as Shiva (1989), Ninne Pelladatha (1996) and Annamayya (1997), Nagarjuna Akkineni, popularly known by his screen name Nagarjuna, turns 64 this year. The two-time National Award winner and nine times Nandi Award winner got his break in 1986 as a lead actor. Since then, he has appeared in over 84 Telugu films and 14 Hindi movies to date.
On the occasion of Nagarjuna’s birthday, we take a look at his beginnings, his early life and career and his rise as a star.
Childhood
Nagarjuna was born to the famous Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao and his wife Annapurna, on August 29, 1959 in present-day Chennai. It is no surprise that he began acting as a child in films starring his father in the lead. At two years of age, Nagarjuna appeared as an infant in the Telugu film Velugu Needalu (1961). In 1967, he appeared as a child actor in the Telugu film Sudigundalu.
Early Career And Stardom
Nagarjuna debuted as a leading man in the V. Madhusudhana Rao-directed hit film Vikram (1986). In 1988 he delivered back-to-back hits, namely, Aakhari Poratam and Janaki Ramudu. The actor also worked on critically acclaimed films such as Geethanjali (1989), directed by Mani Ratnam.
However, the role and film for which Nagarjuna became a household name was Siva, directed by the then relatively unknown filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. Released in 1989, the superhit Telugu-language action and crime drama became a critical darling and achieved cult status. Varma remade the film in Hindi, the following year with Nagarjuna again in the lead. It too became a resounding success.
Nagarjuna delivered more blockbusters like Killer (1992), President Gari Pellam (1992), Varasudu (1993), and critically acclaimed films like Ninne Pelladatha (1996) and Annamayya (1997), which won him his first National Award. He also appeared in several Hindi films such as Khuda Gawah (1992), Criminal (1995), Zakhm (1998) and the recent, Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022).
Family
Nagarjuna married Lakshmi Daggubati, in 1984 but divorced six years later. Naga Chaitanya is their son. Two years later, Nagarjuna married actress Amala Mukherjee, who gave birth to actor Akhil Akkineni.
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