Akkineni Nagarjuna celebrates his 60th birthday today. Born to late legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna first stepped in the world of movies as a child artist. In addition to films in Telugu, he has also worked in Hindi and Tamil language movies. In a career spanning three decades, Nagarjuna has acted in more than 100 films and entertained the audience with a variety of roles. His impeccable performances have influenced several aspiring artists and has garnered him numerous accolades. On the occasion of his 60th birthday, here are five best works from his filmography.
1. Siva (1989)
Siva was a breakthrough in Nagarjuna’s film career. In Ram Gopal Varma’s directorial debut, Nagarjuna was seen in a revolutionised character that has attained a cult status and is a fan-favourite. The gangster film was a massive success. In addition to Filmfare Award in Best Film category – Telugu, Siva bagged three Nandi Awards.
2. Geethanjali (1989)
Mani Ratnam’s tragic love story only added to Nagarjuna’s versatility. Nagarjuna’s fan following saw a dramatic leap and he became a heartthrob overnight. Despite its bold content, the film was accepted and welcomed by audience and critics with open arms. The romantic drama won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment that year.
3. Annamayya (1997)
K Raghavendar Rao’s brilliance was the perfect push to Nagarjuna’s acting tenacity. The film cemented his position in the Telugu Films Industry as the top actor with versatility. It was a ground-breaking success and won eight Nandi Awards, three Filmfare Awards and two National Film Awards.
4. Rajanna (2011)
Nagarjuna is widely known as ‘Celluloid scientist’ because he experiments with scripts and this film aptly justifies the name. Nagarjuna essays a revolutionist in this period action film who pushes a small village to thrive in pre-independent India. Directed by V. Vijayendra Prasad, the film was loosely based on freedom fighter Suddala Hanmanthu and Razakar movement. Nagarjuna won Nandi Special Jury Award, South Indian International Movie Awards – Special Appreciation (Actor) and CineMAA Awards – Special Jury Award (Actor).
5. Shiridi Sai (2012)
It was a pleasant surprise to see how Nagarjuna handled a character like Sai Baba. To act in the biography of Hindu deity was no walk-in-a-park. Nagarjuna ditched the cliched performance and worked through it with sheer finesse and conviction. He won CineMAA Awards Best Actor (Jury) for his performance.
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