Nagarjuna | |
|---|---|
 Nagarjuna in 2015 | |
| Born | (1959-08-29)29 August 1959 (age 65)[3] Madras (present-day Chennai),Madras State, India |
| Alma mater | Eastern Michigan University (B.S.) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouses | |
| Children | |
| Father | Akkineni Nageswara Rao |
| Family | SeeDaggubati-Akkineni family |
| Awards | Full list |
Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao[a] (/nɑːɡɑːrdʒuˈnɑː/; born 29 August 1959) is an Indian actor, film producer, entrepreneur, and television presenter known for his work primarily inTelugu cinema, as well as in a fewHindi andTamil films.[4][5] He has appeared inover 90 films and is a recipient of twoNational Film Awards forNinne Pelladata (1996) andAnnamayya (1997). Nagarjuna has also won tenNandi Awards and threeFilmfare Awards South.[6]
In 1989, Nagarjuna starred in theMani Ratnam-directedromantic drama filmGeetanjali, which won theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film. In the same year, he appeared in the commercially successfulSiva, anaction film directed byRam Gopal Varma; featured at the13th IFFI' 90.[7][8] Nagarjuna made hisBollywood debut with the 1990 Hindi remake ofShiva. Known by his works inbiographical films, he played 15th-century composerAnnamacharya inAnnamayya (1997), Yavakri (the son of the asceticBharadvaja) inAgni Varsha (2002), MajorPadmapani Acharya in thewar filmLOC: Kargil (2003), 17th-century composerKancherla Gopanna inSri Ramadasu (2006),Suddala Hanmanthu inRajanna (2011),Sai Baba of Shirdi inShirdi Sai (2012), Chandaludu inJagadguru Adi Shankara (2013), andHathiram Bhavaji inOm Namo Venkatesaya (2017).[9]
Nagarjuna has largely starred in action films, establishing himself as an action star with works such asAakhari Poratam (1988),Vicky Daada (1989),Siva (1989),Neti Siddhartha (1990),Chaitanya (1991),Nirnayam (1991),Antham (1992),Killer (1992),Khuda Gawah (1992),Rakshana (1993),Hello Brother (1994),Govinda Govinda (1994),Criminal (1994),Ratchagan (1997),Azad (2000),Sivamani (2003),Mass (2004),Super (2005),Don (2007), andKing (2008).
In 2013, he represented theCinema of South India at the Delhi Film Festival's 100 Years of Indian Cinema's celebration, alongsideRamesh Sippy andVishal Bhardwaj from Bollywood.[10] In 1995, he ventured into film production, with a production unit operating inSeychelles, and was a co-director of anEmmy Award-winning film animation company called Heart Animation.[11] Nagarjuna is the co-owner of theproduction companyAnnapurna Studios. He is also the president of the non-profit film schoolAnnapurna College of Film and Media based inHyderabad.[12][13][14]
Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao was born on 29 August 1959 inMadras (present-day Chennai)[15] in a Telugu family to the veteran actorAkkineni Nageswara Rao and his wife Annapurna. His family hails fromRamapuram inKrishna District ofAndhra Pradesh.[16] His father moved to Madras seeking career as an actor.
The family later moved to Hyderabad, where he did his schooling inHyderabad Public School andintermediate education fromLittle Flower Junior College,Hyderabad. He completed the first year of hisMechanical Engineering at theCollege of Engineering,Guindy,Anna University in Madras,[17] former Indian cricketerKrishnamachari Srikanth was his college mate during his Engineering days. He was then transferred toEastern Michigan University inYpsilanti, Michigan where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.[18][19]
Nagarjuna stepped into the field of acting as an infant in the movieVelugu Needalu (1961).[20] He began acting as a child artist inSudigundalu (1967) directed byAdurthi Subba Rao. Both movies starred his fatherAkkineni Nageswara Rao in the lead role.[21] Years later he made his debut as a lead actor through the 1986 Telugu filmVikram, directed byV. Madhusudhana Rao. It is the remake of the 1983Hindi filmHero. The film was a success, giving Nagarjuna a good start.[22] Later, he starred in films likeMajnu, directed byDasari Narayana Rao, which was well received. Nagarjuna got positive reviews for his portrayal of a heartbroken man. He then starred inSankeertana, a below average grosser directed by debutantGeetha Krishna with music byIlaiyaraaja. The film was appreciated for its content and music. In 1988, he starred in the blockbusterAakhari Poratam, scripted byYandamuri Veerendranath, and directed byK. Raghavendra Rao where he was paired oppositeSridevi andSuhasini. In 1988, he starred inJanaki Ramudu alongsideVijayashanti was directed again by K. Raghavendra Rao.
In 1989, he starred in theMani Ratnam-directedromantic dramaGeetanjali.[23] The film won theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 1990.[24] Immediately, he saw another success,Siva. This film marked the debut of directorRam Gopal Varma. This film is considered a trendsetter in Telugu cinema, and made Nagarjuna a superstar.[25] In 1990, he subsequently made hisBollywood debut with the Hindi remake of the same film titledShiva. Even the Hindi version saw huge box-office success. He followed it up with sub fare likePrema Yuddham,Iddaru Iddare andNirnayam. He then starred inJaitra Yatra, for which he received critical acclaim.[26]
He followed it up with box office hits likeNirnayam (1991),Killer (1992) and working with eminent directors such asFazil andPriyadarshan. Nagarjuna was fondly called "Celluloid Scientist" for his nature of experimenting with different scripts.[27] Some of his prominent hit films released subsequently includedPresident Gari Pellam (1992),Varasudu (1993),Allari Alludu (1993),Hello Brother (1994) andGharana Bullodu (1995). Many of his films were also dubbed into Tamil.
He starred in his first Hindi-Telugu bilingualCriminal directed byMahesh Bhatt. In 1996, Nagarjuna starred opposite actressTabu and producedNinne Pelladata, directed byKrishna Vamsi. The movie won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu andFilmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu.[28] The next year, Nagarjuna acted inAnnamayya (1997), in which he portrayed the role ofAnnamacharya, a 15th-century Telugu singer and poet.[29] This won him hisFilmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu and his firstNandi Award for Best Actor. He also received aNational Award for this role.[30] Later that year, he starred in the Tamil filmRatchagan, directed byPraveen Gandhi.[31] In 1998, he appeared in the romantic comedyAavida Maa Aavide and then plays as lead role in the Hindi actionAngaaray withAkshay Kumar.[32][33] He co-starred withAjay Devgn in the drama filmZakhm.[34][35] In 1999, he was seen in two filmsSeetharama Raju andRavoyi Chandamama.[36][37]
His subsequent releases were Tamil remakesNuvvu Vasthavani (2000),Ninne Premistha (2000) andSnehamante Idera (2001). Followed by Malalayam remakesBava Nachadu (2001) andAdhipathi (2001). He starred in romantic comedies such asSantosham,Manmadhudu, andSivamani. He producedSatyam in 2003, which starred his nephewSumanth.[38] In 2004, Nagarjuna had two releases,Nenunnanu andMass.[39] The latter was produced by Nagarjuna and directed by choreographerRaghava Lawrence.[40] In 2005, Nagarjuna acted in and producedSuper.[41] In 2006, he starred inSri Ramadasu, his second period film based on the 18th-century Telugu Saint / poet of the same name.[42] Nagarjuna received theNandi Award for Best Actor.[43] In 2007, he appeared inDon[44] and a year later, he appeared inKing alongsideTrisha.[45] In 2010, he had the filmsKedi andRagada.[46][47]
In 2011, he appeared in the action thrillerGaganam. The Tamil version was titledPayanam. He was seen also in the period action film inRajanna[48] In 2012, Nagarjuna) appears asSai Baba inShirdi Sai and then action fantasy filmDamarukam.[49][50] His next filmGreeku Veerudu (2013) alongsideNayanthara.[51] His nextBhai was a disaster at the box office.[52] In 2014, Nagarjuna starred in the blockbuster family drama,Manam, directed byVikram Kumar. He had a dual role inSoggade Chinni Nayana (2016), which turned out to be one of his biggest blockbusters.[53] Later he played a cripple inVamshi Paidipally's bilingual filmOopiri, which StarredKarthi. This movie which was a hit.[54] In 2017, he played a devotional role in the filmOm Namo Venkatesaya. It garnered average reviews from critics and turned out to be a disaster.[55] He then starred in a horror film titledRaju Gari Gadhi 2 (2017), which had an average run at the box office.[56] In 2018, he starred in the filmOfficer directed and produced byRam Gopal Varma.[57] In 2018, the action comedyDevadas, alongsideNani was released to positive reviews.[58] In 2019, he was seen in the romantic comedyManmadhudu 2.[59]
The next film, Nagarjuna delivers a fine performance in the action thriller,Wild Dog (2021).[60] He plays alongside his sonNaga Chaitanya inBangarraju (2022).[61] Then, he acted in the Hindi fantasy action-adventureBrahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022).[62] Next, Nagarjuna played as Interpol officer in the action thrillerThe Ghost (2022).[63] In 2024,Naa Saami Ranga marks a triumphant comeback for Akkineni Nagarjuna.[64]
Nagarjuna made his début as a television producer in 2009 with the soap operaYuva.[65] He was a major shareholders of the television channelMaa TV before it was sold to the Star Network.[66] Nagarjuna hosted the IndianTelugu-language version ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire? titledMeelo Evaru Koteeswarudu. The first season of the show was telecast onMAA TV from 9 June 2014 to 7 August 2014 (40 episodes). The second season was also showcased onMAA TV from 9 December 2014 to 27 February 2015 (55 episodes).[67] In 2015, he was honoured with the Entertainment Leader Award (Television) for his work in the show at theTV5 Business Leaders Awards ceremony.[68] He had hosted the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh season ofBigg Boss in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 and the First Season ofBigg Boss Non Stop in 2022.[69]
Since 2013, He was a co-owner of theMumbai Masters of theIndian Badminton League, along withSunil Gavaskar, and theMahi Racing Team India, along withMS Dhoni.[67][70][71] Nagarjuna currently endorsesKalyan Jewellers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.[citation needed] He was listed as No. 36 and No. 43 inForbes India's top 100 Celebrities for the years 2012 and 2013 respectively.[72][73] He is one of the co-owners of theIndian Super League clubKerala Blasters FC.[74]
Nagarjuna is the founding partner of N3 Realty Enterprises, the parent entity for N-Convention center, N-Grill and District N. The later two establishments are now non-existent. In 2014, theGreater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation identified that N convention had encroached on litigated premises.[75] Subsequently, through legal opinions, a correction path of the land was initiated by the local administrators.[76] On 24 August 2024, the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA) demolished the N-Convention centre citing encroachment of adjacent lake.[77]
Nagarjuna, along with his wife Amala, are co-founders ofBlue Cross of Hyderabad, recognised by theAnimal Welfare Board of India.[78][79] It is a non-government organisation (NGO) in Hyderabad, which works for the welfare of animals. Nagarjuna was also involved in welfare programs undertaken by theMAA TV association, and presently serves as the brand ambassador for HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns.[80] In 2010, he starred in anHIV/AIDS animated software tutorial created byTeachAids, a nonprofit founded atStanford University.[81]
In February 1984, Nagarjuna married Lakshmi Daggubati, the daughter ofD. Ramanaidu, a prominent film-maker, and sister of the actorVenkatesh and producerSuresh Babu.[82] Lakshmi and Nagarjuna have one son, actorNaga Chaitanya born on 23 November 1986.[83] However, the couple got divorced in 1990. Nagarjuna then married actressAmala on 11 June 1992,[84] and the couple have one son, actorAkhil, born on 8 April 1994.[85] While, Lakshmi married Sharath Vijayaraghavan, a corporate executive at Sundaram Motors.[86] Naga Chaitanya was previously married to actressSamantha Ruth Prabhu from 2017 to 2021,[87] and married to actressSobhita Dhulipala on 4 December 2024.[88]
Nagarjuna has been the recipient of twoNational Film Awards, tenNandi Awards and threeFilmfare Awards South.[89]
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