He
was
born
in
a
farmer's
family
but
grew
up
to
be
one
of
the
country's
acting
legends.
Akkineni
Nageswara
Rao
believes
one
should
enter
films
with
devotion
and
not
because
it
is
the
fashion
to
do
so
and
says
if
you're
popular,
you're
bound
to
be
responsible
for
your
actions.
"You
always
carry
huge
responsibility
as
an
actor
when
you
become
popular.
One
should
be
careful
about
his
or
her
actions
both
in
films
and
in
public
life,"
Rao
told
in
an
interview.
"Cinema
is
an
honourable
profession
which
gives
you
fame,
money,
laurels
and
popularity.
Therefore,
come
with
devotion,
but
never
enter
the
industry
for
fashion,"
added
the
octogenarian,
who
made
his
cinematic
debut
as
a
lead
actor
in
1944
Telugu
film
Seetha
Rama
Jananam.
Since
then,
he
has
worked
in
over
200
Telugu
films
in
a
career
spanning
seven
decades.
Besides
the
coveted
Dadasaheb
Phalke
Award,
three
of
the
country's
four
top
civilian
honours
-
the
Padma
Vibhushan,
the
Padma
Bhushan
and
the
Padma
Shri
-
have
been
conferred
on
Rao.
Known
for
his
work
in
Telugu
films
such
as
Devadasu,
Mayabazar,
Dr.
Chakravarthy
and
Muga
Manasulu,
Rao,
popularly
referred
to
as
ANR,
has
always
believed
in
longevity
to
connect
with
his
audiences.
"I
was
very
careful
from
the
beginning
and
knew
that
I
need
to
focus
on
longevity
in
order
to
connect
with
audiences
with
every
role
I
adorned.
I
was
also
aware
of
my
weakness
and
hence
it
was
all
the
more
important
for
me
to
choose
the
right
film
with
utmost
care," he
said.
Rao
never
hesitated
to
play
a
variety
of
roles,
such
as
a
villager,
an
urban
educated
protagonist,
a
tragic
hero
and
even
a
comedian,
to
sustain
his
popularity
over
the
years.
"I
never
wanted
people
to
get
bored
of
seeing
me
on
the
screen
in
similar
roles,"
said
Rao,
who
still
has
a
fan
base
equivalent
to
that
of
his
star
son
Akkineni
Nagarjuna.
From
being
a
farmer's
boy
to
India's
most
respected
actor:
How
did
it
happen?
"I
dropped
out
of
school
because
my
family
couldn't
afford
it.
I
used
to
help
my
mother
at
her
work,
but
at
leisure,
I
used
to
stand
in
front
of
the
mirror
and
act.
My
mother
noticed
my
interest
in
acting
and
asked
my
brother
to
introduce
me
to
the
local
theatre
group,"
he
said,
adding:
"I
can't
even
think
of
what
I
would
have
been
if
not
an
actor".
Remembered
for
his
memorable
roles
in
films
such
as
Sudigundaalu,
Antastulu
and
Meghasandesam,
Rao
recalls
Batasari
and
Devadasu
as
two
films
he
will
always
be
proud
of.
"I
still
consider
Batasari
as
one
of
my
finest
performances
in
my
career.
There
was
only
one
page
of
dialogue
in
the
whole
picture
and
the
role
demanded
maximum
use
of
expressions,"
he
added.
Despite
strong
criticism,
Rao
acted
in
Devadasu,
only
to
be
catapulted
to
the
status
of
Telugu
cinema's
first
romantic
hero.
"Many
said
I
wasn't
suited
to
star
in
a
romantic
saga,
but
the
criticism
made
me
all
the
more
eager
to
prove
myself.
Devadasu
went
on
to
become
a
classic,
he
said.
How
did
he
manage
the
competition?
"There
were
few
people
in
the
industry
when
I
entered
at
19.
It
helped
me
because
the
industry
was
looking
for
a
new
boy
as
the
established
actors
were
under
contract
with
studios,"
he
added.
Did
his
busy
acting
career
keep
him
away
from
his
family?
"Initially,
it
was
challenging
as
I
got
extremely
busy
with
my
career.
As
I
learnt
to
include
discipline
into
my
schedules,
I
found
ample
time
for
my
family,"
said
Rao,
who
was
married
to
Annapurna
Akkineni
for
62
years.
She
passed
away
in
2011.
Rao
has
two
sons
and
three
daughters
-
the
eldest
son
Venkat
Akkineni
is
a
popular
producer,
while
the
second
son
Nagarjuna
is
a
renowned
actor.
Daughters
Saroja,
Susheela
and
Sathyavathi
are
settled.
Rao's
grandchildren
Sushant,
Sumanth,
Naga
Chaitanya
are
all
actors
while
his
youngest
grandson
Akhil
is
likely
to
soon
enter
films.
At
88,
Rao
is
all
set
to
share
screen
space
with
his
son
and
grandson
in
upcoming
Telugu
family-comedy
Manam.
Sharing
his
thoughts
about
the
100-year-old
India
cinema,
he
said
the
industry
needs
to
become
more
experimental
and
attract
global
audiences.