Naga Chaitanya is one star that the Tollywood audience has never stopped loving. Son of the superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna, the actor debuted with the Telugu film Josh in 2009. Today, he celebrates his 36th birthday. While the makers of Naga’s upcoming film Custody treated his fans by revealing the first look of the film’s poster, we bring to you a throwback to the actor’s best performances so far.
Karthik in Ye Maaya Chesave (2010)
Written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, Ye Maaya Chesave is considered to be one of the best Telugu films of the decade. Naga played the role of Karthik Sivakumar — a young engineer aspiring to be a filmmaker – who meets Jessie, a girl from a conservative Christian family. They fall in love with each other but are forced to move apart because of Jessie’s parents who would not allow her to be with a Hindu boy. Although Naga had debuted the year before, this film is majorly considered to be his big breakthrough.
Radha Mohan and Nagarjuna in Manam (2014)
A pleasant departure from the usual storylines of the Telugu films of the time, the fantasy drama film Manam featured an ensemble cast of Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Shriya Saran. Naga Chaitanya played the dual roles of Radha Mohan and Nagarjuna — two men from two different generations — quite effortlessly. This film is special to him in more ways than one, as it also marked the last performance of Naga’s grandfather Akkineni Nageswara Rao.
Poorna in Majili (2019)
Romantic sports drama Majili marked Naga’s first collaboration with Samantha after their marriage. He essayed the role of Poorna Chandar Rao, a young man aspiring to play for the Indian Cricket Team. However, after the love of his life Anshu leaves him, Poorna becomes a victim of alcoholism and drifts away from his passion. After he is pressured to marry Sravani (Samantha Prabhu), his life begins to take a different turn. From a passionate young boy to an alcoholic – the wide range of emotions portrayed by Naga in this one film makes it a must-watch.
Revanth in Love Story (2021)
Telugu musical-romance Love Story received negative critique due to its lengthy run-time, and no one seemed to be of two minds about the fact that the lead couple (Naga and Sai Pallavi) had delivered an uneven performance. Naga played the role of Revanth, a lower-caste Christian man living in Hyderabad who runs a Zumba centre. He falls in love with Mounika, an upper-caste girl who arrived in the city looking for a job. Sparks fly when the two meet; but when they want to expand the Zumba centre together, conflict arises because of their castes.
Bala in Laal Singh Chaddha (2022)
Laal Singh Chaddha marked Naga’s debut in Bollywood. He played the role of Balaraju Bodi aka Bala, whom Laal (Aamir Khan) meets while in the Army and becomes best friends with. But eventually, Bala met a tragic death. Despite having less screen time and starring alongside other famous actors, Naga delivered a performance worth remembering.
E-mail: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @MallikPrattusa