ANR 100: Celebrating Akkineni Nageswara Rao’s Centennial with a nationwide film festival

To celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Natasamrat Akkineni Nageswara Rao on September 20 this year, the non-profit Film Heritage Foundation is organising a retrospective film festival called ANR 100 – King Of The Silver Screen. This event honors the iconic figure of Indian cinema.

The festival will showcase a selection of 10 restored classic films featuring ANR, with screenings taking place from September 20 to 22, 2024, in 25 cities across India. This includes major urban centers such as Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru, as well as smaller cities like Vadodara, Jalandhar, Rourkela, Warangal, Kakinada, and Tumkur.

Film enthusiasts nationwide will have the unique chance to experience ANR’s exceptional versatility and compelling performances on the big screen again. The curated selection will include landmark Telugu films such as Devadasu (1953), Missamma (1955), Mayabazar (1957), Bharya Bharthalu (1961), Gundamma Katha (1962), Doctor Chakravarthi (1964), Sudigundalu (1968), Prem Nagar (1971), Premabhishekam (1981), and Manam (2014).

The Film Heritage Foundation, alongside the Akkineni Nageswara Rao family, is presenting this nationwide festival in collaboration with the NFDC – National Film Archive Of India and PVR-Inox.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Filmmaker and Director of the Film Heritage Foundation, expressed excitement about presenting this unique festival, following the success of retrospectives featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, and Dev Anand. He emphasised that this festival highlights ANR’s extensive filmography from 1953 to 2014 and aims to showcase why his films continue to resonate with audiences and the importance of preserving film heritage.

Akkineni Nagarjuna shared his joy over the festival, noting that it celebrates his father’s centennial with a nationwide showcase of his significant films. He praised ANR’s remarkable ability to portray diverse roles and his contributions to the Telugu film industry, including establishing Annapurna Studios. Nagarjuna expressed gratitude to the NFDC-NFAI and PVR-Inox for making this festival possible.

Amitabh Bachchan also expressed his pleasure at the festival, appreciating the opportunity to honor ANR’s legacy and acknowledging his humility and talent. He highlighted that this retrospective is a significant first for Telugu cinema and aligns with the Film Heritage Foundation's mission to revive and celebrate Indian cinema’s rich heritage.

Akkineni Nageswara Rao, often referred to as ANR or Natasamrat, was renowned for his versatility and immense talent. His career spanned over 71 years and included more than 250 films in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil cinema, though he is most celebrated for his work in Telugu films. ANR’s significant contributions were recognised with numerous awards, and he established Annapurna Studios as a cornerstone of the Telugu film industry. He passed away on January 22, 2014, leaving a lasting legacy through his family and the many actors who followed in his footsteps.