'Devadas' brought Tollywood to Hyd
HYDERABAD: Veteran actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao, who passed away on Wednesday, was not only known for his acting, he was also instrumental in shifting the Telugu film industry from Chennai to Hyderabad, where he established Annapurna Studios.
Condolences over Rao's demise poured in with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and YSRC president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy conveying their condolences.
Thousands of fans and well-wishers visited Annapurna Studios, where Rao's body was kept to enable them to pay tribute. As a mark of respect, the Telugu film industry has decided to observe a holiday on Thursday.
Born into a poor family to Akkineni Venkataratnam and Punnamma at Venkataraghavapuram in Krishna district on September 20, 1924, Nageswara Rao made his film debut with Dharmapatni in 1941 at the tender age of 17.
Keelugurram was his first film based on folklore, while Samsaram was his first film with a social message. Before becoming a part of the film industry, he was active in theatre and was noted for playing female roles.
Early in his career, Rao sang his own songs. Devadas was his turning point and later on, he portrayed the alcoholic frustrated lover to perfection in several films, earning him the sobriquet 'tragedy king'.
Rao, who was formally educated only till Class IV, had on several occasions emphasised the importance of education, and learnt to speak English fluently.
News Posted: 23 January, 2014
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