Nagarjuna Recalls Father ANR Attempting Suicide As His 'Feminine Mannerisms' Were Mocked

Veteran actor Nagarjuna along with his family joined at the 2024 International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. On November 22, IFFI Goa honoured Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) with a special event. As a leading guest, Nagarjuna shared his thoughts on his father’s impact both as an actor and a father, highlighting his iconic roles and career. During a conversation at the event, Nagarjuna made surprising revelations about how his father was mocked for doing feminine roles.

Nagarjuna’s reveals anecdotes about father’s hardship day

As per PTI, at an in-conversation session at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the Nagarjuna shared many anecdotes about his father Akkineni Nageswara Rao. 

Speaking at the event, Nagarjuna started by sharing his father's background saying, “He came from a very humble family, a farmer's family. He was born near Andhra Pradesh (erstwhile part of the Madras presidency), a village which didn't have electricity.” He further reflected ANR’s path to acting by revealing that his grandmother wanted a girlchild so she used to dress her father like one. The mass actor quoted, "My grandmother always wanted to have a woman child. She used to dress him up (like a woman) in plaits. He used to look very pretty and cute. We still have a photograph of him dressed as a girl. He looked exactly like my older sister Sathya. I think these were the things which led him to become an actor.”

ANR, whose seven-decade career includes diverse films such as Vipra Narayana, Tenali Krishna, Sri Ramadasu, LailaMajnu, and Balaraju, started out playing the roles of women on stage.

Nagarjuna revealed his father started out his career in a female role, saying, "In those days women were not allowed to be an actor or act on stage. So, he started playing women's roles. He first became a heroine on stage.”

Nagarjuna further recounted his father's big break, saying, "As fate took its turn, he was at a railway station when famous producer Ghantasala Balaramayya, who was sitting in the train, saw him walking and said 'nice eyes, nice nose'. Would you like to act? Rest, as they say, is history," recounted Nagarjuna.

In 1944, ANR got his first film "Sri Seeta Rama Jananam" as a lead. He then moved to Chennai with his older brother as his father had expired by then, Nagarjuna added.

Nagarjuna's father attempted suicide over ‘Feminine’ mockery

ANR also faced a lot of mockery from people who made fun of him for his 'feminine' mannerisms. Nagarjuna talked about his father’s low phase, "People made fun of him and that really dejected him. He went to Marina Beach where he said he wanted to kill himself because there was so much laughter (mockery) and all of that. He told me he went waist deep into the seawater and then something in him told him (to not do it) and he corrected himself," Nagarjuna said.

The actor said his father, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1990 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2011, also worked hard to make his "feeble" voice rougher.

"Somebody told him your voice becomes rougher if you smoke cigars. He didn't smoke earlier. He also used to go to the beach early in the morning and scream at the ocean for 5-10 minutes to make his voice more hoarse," he added.

On Thursday, Nagarjuna launched the season two of the animation series "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum" at IFFI. The short film gala is celebrating the legacy of the Telugu cinema stalwart by showcasing a restored version of his 1953 movie Devadasu. The film gala will come to a close on November 28.

Note: If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or going through a crisis, Republic World urges you to reach out to suicide helpline numbers. Below are the mental health helpline and suicide prevention contact details.  

AASRA – We’re Here To Help
91-9820466726
Timings: 24*7
Languages: English, Hindi

Sanjeevani (Delhi) 
011 24311918, 011 24318883
Mon-Fri (10am-5.30pm)

Fortis Stress Helpline (Delhi) 
+918376804102
Timing: 24X7