Nagarjuna may have been to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) many times earlier. But the ongoing one in Goa is special for him. IFFI paid tributes and celebrated the centenary of his late legendary father Akkineni Nageswara Rao (along with Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha and Mohd Rafi). Nagarjuna, Amala, Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala attended the event.
Tributes paid to Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Nagarjuna said, “It is a very truly special moment,” he says, adding, “It is overwhelming to see such rich tributes being paid to my father. A special audio-visual (AV) has been presented bringing his cinematic journey to life – much to the packed crowd’s thunderous applause. “His journey is truly an inspiration for generations to come. As a son what I could see in him is his ‘relentless pursuit.’ It always surprised me.”
According to the actor, watching many young filmmakers from various countries and exchanging their creativity is inspiring. Many of Nag’s films had Pan-India releases and he says that people started embracing films and cultures from other states and countries. “I think post Covid, people started to watch a lot of films and that pushed the way to change the face of cinema. IFFI has always been a great platform for establishing collaborations and exploring interesting story ideas.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Amala Akkineni (@akkineniamala)
ALSO READ: Nagarjuna Akkineni Says IFFI 2024 Showcases The Power Of Indian Cinema
'ANR once attempted suicide'
In his nearly four-decade long journey, Nagarjuna was one of the few actors who always chanced upon debut filmmakers and tasted tremendous success. “I love working with new and young talent. Their ideas and new energy give a refreshing perspective to the film. My creativity too goes up when working with them,” he says, adding that working with young filmmakers also pushes him to up his game.
Nagarjuna also revealed an anecdote that his father once attempted a suicide. ANR started his dramatic career dressed up and playing like a girl. He was initially mocked for his feminine traits. “He went to Marina beach and almost committed suicide for the kind of embarrassment he had. He went into the water waist-deep but later came back because his inner voice said that it was not the correct thing to do and he had to prove himself,” recalled Nag.