ANR centenary celebrations: ‘Mayabazar, ‘Devadasu’ among 10 restored classics to be screened across India

ANR centenary celebrations: ‘Mayabazar, ‘Devadasu’ among 10 restored classics of Akkineni Nageswara Rao to be screened across India

A retrospective film festival titled ANR 100: King of the Silver Screen will pay tribute to legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. To coincide with the doyen’s 100th birthday on September 20, the family of the late actor, in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation, National Film Development Corporation, National Film Archive of India and PVR-Inox, will screen 10 of his most memorable films. The films will be screened in theatres from September 20 to 22 in 25 cities including Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Vadodara, Jalandhar, Rourkela, Warangal, Kakinada and Tumkur.

The restored classics are 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).

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of Film Heritage Foundation stated that this festival comes after the successful retrospectives of Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand. “The selection of films in this retrospective, from 1953 to 2014, include some of ANR’s biggest hits, which continue to resonate with people after decades.”

Actor Nagarjuna Akkineni added, “My father was rightly called Natasamrat for his ability to play a range of roles - from a saint to an alcoholic to a romantic hero - in a way that has stayed in people’s hearts for decades. His performances in Devadasu, Premabhishekam, Doctor Chakravarthi and Sudigundalu are loved even today. He was a pioneer; he established Annapurna Studios, laying the first foundation for the Telugu film industry in our State. We are proud of his legacy and through this festival, audiences across the country will remember an icon of Indian cinema. We would like to preserve this legacy so that people will remember him for another 100 years.”

Amitabh Bachchan, who has been closely associated with the Film Heritage Foundation,  recalled being struck by ANR’s humility and simplicity. “This is the first time a retrospective on this scale has been done for Telugu cinema. The festival will give contemporary audiences an opportunity to experience ANR’s screen presence, versatility and range.”

In his career spanning 71 years, ANR worked as an actor and producer in more than 250 films in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil.