Veteran actor Nagarjuna, speaking at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Friday, shared a deeply personal and shocking story about his father, legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR). Recalling a difficult period in his father’s life, Nagarjuna revealed that ANR once contemplated suicide due to ridicule over his “feminine” mannerisms during the early years of his career.
In those days, women were not permitted to perform on stage, leading ANR to take on female roles in theater productions. “He first became a heroine on stage,” Nagarjuna explained, as quoted by the Free Press Journal. This experience shaped his father’s early career but also exposed him to mockery.
The ridicule deeply affected ANR, to the point where he decided to take his own life. “He went to Marina Beach as he wanted to kill himself because there was so much laughter and mockery,” Nagarjuna revealed. ANR went waist-deep into the ocean but ultimately changed his mind. “Something in him told him not to do it, and he corrected himself,” Nagarjuna said.
To counter the criticism, ANR worked on his mannerisms and voice. He reportedly started smoking cigars to make his voice rougher and would go to the beach early in the morning to scream at the ocean, hoping to make his voice hoarser.
ANR’s fortunes changed when renowned producer Ghantasala Balaramayya noticed him at a railway station. “He saw him walking and said, ‘Nice eyes, nice nose. Would you like to act?’ The rest is history,” Nagarjuna recounted.
ANR went on to debut in 1944 with Sri Seeta Rama Jananam and built an illustrious career spanning seven decades. He starred in classics like Vipra Narayana, Tenali Krishna, Sri Ramadasu, Laila Majnu, and Balaraju. His story stands as a testament to perseverance in the face of adversity.
