Chiranjeevi remembers legendary Akkineni Nageswara Rao on his centenary: ‘I had the privilege of sharing screen space with him…’

Nagarjuna and his family commemorated his father the legendary Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao's 100th birthday anniversary on Friday, September 20. On the special occasion, superstar Chiranjeevi remembered the legendary actor, and also recalled working with him.

In a note shared on X (formerly Twitter), Chiranjeevi said that ANR is one of the greatest actors of all time. “Remembering the legendary ANR, #AkkineniNageswaraRao garu, one of the greatest actors of all time on his 100th birth anniversary. An acting genius and A doyen of Cinema, ANR garu’s memorable performances remain etched in the hearts and minds of Telugu audiences. His contributions to cinema are unparalleled.”

Chiranjeevi also recalled working with the legend in the film ‘Mechanic Alludu’ and said, “I had the privilege and good fortune of sharing screen space with him in the film ‘Mechanic Alludu’. I feel greatly enriched by the experience and cherish those moments and his wonderful memories forever. #CelebratingANR100 #ANR100 #ANRLivesOn.”


Nagarjuna Akkineni was humbled to hear these words from Chiranjeevi and he said, “Thank you, dear Chiranjeevi Garu for your wonderful words about nana!”

Akkineni Nageswara Rao’s centenary is celebrated across India by re-releasing some of his classics such as 'Missamma', 'Devadasu,' 'Premnagar', ‘Gundamma Katha’, and ‘Mayabazar’ among others in select theatres from September 20 to 22 with free-entry, across 31 cities across India.

The 100th birth anniversary of the Telugu icon Shri Akkineni Nageswara Rao was launched at a grand ceremony in Hyderabad on Friday, September 20 by ANR family including the superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna, Amala, Naga Chaitanya, Akhil Akkineni, Akkineni Venkat and Supriya Yarlagadda in the presence of Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of I & B, Govt. of India. A commemorative ANR stamp was also released in honour of ANR.


On the occasion, FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur spoke about what a historic occasion it was, that for the first time a festival of classic Telugu films would be screened in 31 cities across India, which showed how important it is to preserve our film heritage.