Name: Akkineni Nagarjuna
Date of Birth: 29 August 1959
Parents: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Annapurna
Spouse: Lakshmi Daggubati (married: 1984; divorced: 1990)
Amala Akkineni (married: 1992)
Children: Naga Chaitanya & Akhil Akkineni
Siblings: Venkat Akkineni & Naga Susheela Akkineni
Occupation: Actor, Producer & Businessman
Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao, also known simply as Nagarjuna, is an Indian actor, producer, TV host, and businessperson. He primarily works in Telugu cinema, but he has also appeared in some Hindi and Tamil films.
He has received recognition for his work, including two National Film Awards. One was for producing the film “Ninne Pelladata” in 1996, which won the Best Feature Film in Telugu. The other was for his performance in “Annamayya” in 1997, where he received a Special Mention. Additionally, Nagarjuna has been honored with nine state Nandi Awards and three Filmfare Awards South.
Early Life:
Akkineni Nagarjuna was born on August 29, 1959, in Madras, now Chennai, into a Telugu family. His father, the renowned actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and mother, Annapurna, hail from Ramapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna District. Nagarjuna’s father moved to Madras to pursue acting.
The family later moved to Hyderabad. Nagarjuna attended Hyderabad Public School for his schooling and Little Flower Junior College for his intermediate education, both situated in Hyderabad.
He began his Mechanical Engineering degree at the College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University in Madras. While studying there, he was classmates with former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikanth. However, he eventually completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
In February 1984, Nagarjuna married Lakshmi Daggubati. She is the daughter of D. Ramanaidu, a well-known filmmaker, and the sister of actor Venkatesh and producer Suresh Babu. They have a son named Naga Chaitanya, who was born on November 23, 1986. However, they got divorced in 1990.
Later, Nagarjuna married actress Amala on June 11, 1992. They have a son named Akhil, who was born on April 8, 1994.
Career:
Nagarjuna started his acting journey as a child artist in the 1967 Telugu film “Sudigundalu,” directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. He also appeared as an infant in the movie “Velugu Needalu,” written by Sri Sri. Both films starred his father, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, in the lead role.
Years later, Nagarjuna made his debut as a lead actor in the 1986 Telugu film “Vikram,” directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao, with Shobana as the female lead. It was a remake of the 1983 Hindi film “Hero” and was successful, giving Nagarjuna a strong start in his career.
Afterward, he acted in movies like “Majnu,” directed by Dasari Narayana Rao, which was well-received. Nagarjuna received positive reviews for his portrayal of a heartbroken man in the film.
He then starred in “Sankeertana,” directed by debutant Geetha Krishna with music by Ilaiyaraaja. Although the film didn’t do well at the box office, it was praised for its storyline and music.
In 1988, Nagarjuna starred in the blockbuster “Aakhari Poratam,” written by Yandamuri Veerendranath and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. He was paired opposite Sridevi and Suhasini in this film. Also in 1988, he appeared in “Janaki Ramudu” alongside Vijayashanti, directed by Raghavendra Rao, which was also a hit.
In 1989, Nagarjuna starred in the Mani Ratnam-directed romantic drama “Geetanjali,” which won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 1990. Following this success, he starred in “Siva,” directed by Ram Gopal Varma. This film is considered groundbreaking in Telugu cinema and made Nagarjuna a superstar.
In 1990, he made his Bollywood debut with the Hindi remake of “Siva,” titled “Shiva,” which also saw immense success at the box office. He then received critical acclaim for his role in “Jaitra Yatra” and appeared in films like “Prema Yuddham” and “Iddaru Iddare.”
Although he had some ups and downs, “Nirnayam,” in which he acted alongside Amala again, was a hit.
After his earlier successes, Nagarjuna continued to deliver hits like “Killer,” “Neti Siddhartha,” and “Nirnayam,” collaborating with renowned directors like Fazil and Priyadarshan. He earned the nickname “Celluloid Scientist” for his willingness to experiment with different scripts.
Some of his notable hit films included “President Gari Pellam,” “Varasudu,” “Gharana Bullodu,” and “Allari Alludu.” In 1994, he starred in his first Hindi-Telugu bilingual film, “Criminal,” directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The same year, he ventured into comedy for the first time with “Hello Brother,” which became a huge success and was later remade into Hindi as “Judwaa.” Many of his films were also dubbed into Tamil.
In 1996, Nagarjuna starred in and produced “Ninne Pelladata,” directed by Krishna Vamsi. The movie won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu.
The following year, Nagarjuna acted in “Annamayya,” portraying the role of Annamacharya, a 15th-century Telugu singer and poet. This performance earned him the Filmfare Best Actor Award and his first Nandi Award for Best Actor. He also received a National Award for this role.
Later in the same year, he starred in the Tamil film “Ratchagan,” directed by Praveen Gandhi, which was successful at the Tamil Nadu box office. His subsequent releases included “Nuvvu Vastavani,” “Ninne Premistha,” and “Azad.”
Nagarjuna starred in romantic comedies like “Santosham,” “Manmadhudu,” and “Sivamani.” In 2003, he produced “Satyam,” which featured his nephew Sumanth.
In 2004, Nagarjuna had two releases: “Nenunnanu” and “Mass.” He produced “Mass” and it was directed by choreographer Lawrence Raghavendra.
In 2005, Nagarjuna acted in and produced “Super.”
In 2006, he starred in “Sri Ramadasu,” his second period film based on the 18th-century Telugu Saint/poet of the same name. For this film, Nagarjuna received the Nandi Award for Best Actor.
In December 2007, he appeared in “Don,” and a year later, he appeared in “King” alongside Trisha and Srihari.
In 2010, Nagarjuna appeared in the films “Kedi” and “Ragada.” “Gaganam” was released on February 11, 2011, and its Tamil version was titled “Payanam.”
In 2011, Nagarjuna signed three consecutive movies: “Rajanna,” “Damarukam,” and “Shirdi Sai.” However, his next film “Greeku Veerudu,” alongside Nayanthara, didn’t perform well. Similarly, “Bhai” turned out to be a disaster at the box office.
In 2014, Nagarjuna starred in the blockbuster family drama “Manam,” directed by Vikram Kumar. He played a dual role in “Soggade Chinni Nayana,” which became one of his biggest blockbusters. Later, he portrayed a character with a disability in Vamshi Paidipally’s bilingual film “Oopiri,” alongside Karthi. This movie was a hit, and Nagarjuna won the IFFA Utsavam Award for Best Supporting Actor for the Tamil version.
In 2017, he played a devotional role in the film “Om Namo Venkatesaya,” which received average reviews and was considered a disaster. He then starred in the horror film “Raju Gari Gadhi 2,” which had an average performance at the box office.
In 2018, Nagarjuna starred in the film “Officer,” directed and produced by Ram Gopal Varma. However, it received poor reviews from critics and became the biggest disaster in Nagarjuna’s career.
On September 27, 2018, “Devadas,” directed by Sriram Aditya, was released, featuring Nagarjuna alongside Nani. The film also starred Rashmika Mandanna and Aakanksha Singh and achieved moderate success.
Awards & Nominations:
National Film Awards
1998 Winner in National Film Awards
Special Mention for Annamayya
1997 Winner in National Film Awards
Best Feature Film in Telugu for Ninne Pelladatha
Filmfare Awards South
2017 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for OOPIRI
2015 Winner in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Film for Manam
2015 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Manam
2014 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Film for Uyyala Jampala
2013 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugug Film Industry
Best Actor for Damarukam
2012 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Film for Rajanna
2012 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Rajanna
2007 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Ramadasu
2006 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Film for Super
2006 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Super
2005 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Mass
2003 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Santosham
2001 Nominee in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Azaad
1998 Winner in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Actor for Annamayya
1997 Winner in Filmfare Award – Telugu Film Industry
Best Film for Ninne Pelladatha
South India International Movie Awards
2017 Nominee in SIIMA – Telugu
Best Actor in Leading Role for Oopiri
2015 Winner in SIIMA – Telugu
Best Film for Manam
2013 Nominee in SIIMA – Telugu
Best Actor in Leading Role for Shridi Sai
2012 Nominee in SIIMA – Telugu
Best Actor in Leading Role
Times of India Film Awards
2013 Nominee in Hyderabad Times Film Awards
Best Actor for Shirdi Sai
CineMAA Awards
2015 Winner in CineMAA Award
Exceptional Performance for Manam
2013 Winner in CineMAA Award
Best Actor: Critics for Shirdi Sai
2005 Winner in CineMAA Award
Best Actor – Male for Mass
Nandi Awards
2015 Winner in Nandi Award
2nd Best Feature Film for Manam
2012 Winner in Nandi Award
Special Jury Award for Rajanna
2007 Winner in Nandi Award
Best Actor for Sri Ramadasu
2003 Winner in Nandi Award
Best Actor for Santosham
2003 Winner in Nandi Award
1st Beast Feature Film for Manmadhudu
1998 Winner in Nandi Award
Best Actor for Annamayya
IIFA Utsavam
2017 Winner in Tamil Cinema
Best Actor in Supporting Role for Oopiri
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