ANR Awards: Chiranjeevi gushes over Rekha in front of her, says, 'I call my wife Rekha'

It was a star-studded gathering at the recently-held Akkineni Nageswara Rao Awards. Two of the most iconic female actors of the film industry were honoured at the do. Legendary actor Sridevi was felicitated posthumously while Rekha too received the honour, at the annual event held by Tollywood's esteemed Akkineni family. Apart from the awardees, Chiranjeevi too was among the star attractions at the awards. The veteran actor-politician enjoyed a ‘fanboy’ moment in front of Rekha, as he revealed being a 'big fan' of Rekha. He added that he admired the ‘eternal beauty’ so much so that he called his wife Surekha as Rekha instead of her real name. 

READ: ANR Awards Honours Actors Sridevi And Rekha For Their Contribution To The Film Industry

“I am a big fan of Rekha. She is of eternal beauty. My wife’s name is Surekha but I fondly call her as Rekha because of my admiration towards Rekha. I never told this to my wife too,” Chiranjeevi said in front of Rekha and the other stars present at the event.  

For the unversed, Rekha had shot to fame with roles a child artist in Telugu films and even worked in one Telugu film as a lead actor before establishing herself as one of the leading names of the Hindi film industry during that era. At the event, Rekha also spoke in Telugu and shared her experience with Akkineni Nageswara Rao. She said, "I spent many years here in Annapurna studios. Nageswara Rao Garu guided me in acting. His words helped me a lot in my career. It was my mother’s last wish that I should act in a Telugu film and I did it for her. I will act in another Telugu film soon." 

READ: Venkaiah Naidu Hails Chiranjeevi-starrer 'Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy'

Akkineni Nageswara Rao was a well-known actor-producer for many decades. His son Akkineni  Nagarjuna and his sons, Naga Chaitanya-Akhil Akkineni and wife Amala Akkineni are all actors too. The Annapurna Studios is a popular studio in Hyderabad.

The honour for Sridevi was received by her husband Boney Kapoor. The veteran film producer got emotional on receiving the award.   "I'm sure she (Sridevi) would have felt humbled to receive this award and I accept this on her behalf with humility," Kapoor said. 

READ: Rekha: A List Of Awards And Accolades Won By The 'Khoobsurat' Actor

Rekha on Sridevi 

Rekha too lauded Sridevi, who was once her contemporary, "Sridevi is my little sister and an actor par excellence." She added, "To get fluency in the language, I want to do a Telugu film soon. I have to hone my speaking skills akin to how Sridevi used to deliver her dialogues effortlessly." 

READ: Nora Fatehi Grooves To Rekha's 'Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo', Netizens React