Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan will attend a grand function on 28 October as a special guest to hand over the award to the Megastar.
Published Sep 21, 2024 | 11:40 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 21, 2024 | 11:40 AM
Chiranjeevi to be honoured with ANR National Award during centenary celebrations. (X)
Megastar Chiranjeevi has been announced as the recipient of this year’s prestigious ANR National Award.
The award, instituted by the Akkineni International Foundation in honour of legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), will be presented to Chiranjeevi during a grand event on 28 October.
The announcement was made during the centenary celebrations of ANR, where his family members revealed Chiranjeevi’s name as this year’s honouree.
Akkineni Nagarjuna, the son of ANR, confirmed the news while addressing the media.
“We’ve decided to present the award to Chiranjeevi garu this year. When I revealed this to him, he felt happy and emotional. He thanked us for considering him and was even more touched because this is happening during the centenary year,” Nagarjuna said.
The Akkineni family is planning a grand function to honour Chiranjeevi, with Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan attending as a special guest to hand over the award. The ceremony will be part of the broader ANR centenary celebrations, which have been taking place across India.
During the event, Nagarjuna reflected on his father’s lasting legacy. “When we think of my father’s name, we smile. His films are being brought to the public again. At the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November, a video about my film journey will be screened. Special videos on my father and other legends like Raj Kapoor are also being made.”
Remembering #AkkineniNageswaraRao Garu with a smile, always ✨
A heartfelt speech from King @iamnagarjuna garu at the #ANR100FilmFestival Press meet ❤️
Watch here!
▶️ https://t.co/BoWOXe75Hh #ANR100 #CelebratingANR100 #ANRLivesOn #AnnapurnaStudios pic.twitter.com/aaa4cpuo7g— Annapurna Studios (@AnnapurnaStdios) September 20, 2024
The Akkineni International Foundation, in honour of Akkineni Nageswara Rao, instituted the ANR National Award in 2006. The award is given annually to recognise people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.
The ANR National Award was first awarded to the late Bollywood actor Dev Anand and Amitabh Bachchan in 2014. The other winners include Shabana Azmi, Anjali Devi, Jayasudha, Vyjayanthimala, Lata Mangeshkar, K Balachander, Hema Malini, Shyam Benegal, Gudipoodi Srihari, SS Rajamouli, Sridevi, and Rekha.
Veteran Telugu filmmaker Raghavendra Rao praised the Akkineni family and Annapurna Studios for their contributions to the film industry. “Annapurna Studios has given employment to many people and has become a symbol of Hyderabad’s film industry,” he noted.
Murali Mohan, a close associate of ANR, shared fond memories of being a fan of Akkineni Nageswara Rao since his student days. He reminisced about watching ANR’s films multiple times and cherished the opportunity to work with him in later years.
Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi took to social media to remember his association with ANR. He shared the screen with the legendary actor in the 1993 film Mechanic Alludu.
Remembering the legendary ANR,#AkkineniNageswaraRao garu, one of the greatest actors of all time on his 100th birth anniversary.
An acting genius and A doyen of Cinema, ANR garu’s memorable performances remain etched in the hearts and minds of Telugu audiences. His… pic.twitter.com/nW0TCrz2Cf
— Chiranjeevi Konidela (@KChiruTweets) September 20, 2024
As part of the centenary celebrations, the Akkineni family, in collaboration with the Government of India, is organising special screenings in 31 cities across India.
A highlight of these celebrations, “ANR 100– King of the Silver Screen Film Festival”, is that some of ANR’s landmark films are being screened.
In Hyderabad, the festival opened with the screening of the classic Devadasu (1953), and other classics like Missamma (1955), Mayabazar (1957), Gundamma Katha (1962), and Manam (2014) will also be screened.
These films have been restored to 4K quality by the Film Heritage Foundation and Annapurna Studios.
The celebrations will culminate with a special tribute at the Goa International Film Festival in November, organised in partnership with the Indian government.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
