HYDERABAD: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, who scaled the peaks of Telugu cinema rivaling N T Rama Rao in stature between 50s and 70s, died here today after losing his battle with cancer.
Popularly known as ANR, the 91-year-old thespian mesmerized generations of audiences with a variety of roles and memorable performances in hits like ‘Batasari’, ‘Devadas’ and ‘Tenali Ramakrishna’ in a career spanning more than seven decades.
Rao recently completed shooting for his home production ‘Manam’ (Us) which stars three generations of the family — himself, Nagarjuna and grandson Naga Chaitanya.
In fact, dubbing facilities had been set up at his residence as he wanted to do it himself, family sources said.
A Dada Saheb Phalke award winner, he had acted in more than 250 films, including a few in Tamil. He was instrumental in bringing Telugu filmmaking to Hyderabad from Madras that was home to film production in all south Indian languages.
He established Annapurna Studios, named after his wife, who died in 2011.
Nageswara Rao had a lively chat with family members last night and passed away in his sleep, the legendary actor’s son Nagarjuna, a popular hero, said.
He was rushed to the super-specialty Care Hospitals at Banjara Hills here in the small hours, where the doctors declared him dead.
Rao, who recently underwent a surgery for intestinal cancer, is survived by three daughters and two sons.–PTI
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
