‘King’ Nagarjuna proves age is just a number

As his next Telugu ventures unspool, for the Akkineni scion, life is all about about the journey, not the destination

He’s been compared to fine wine. And rightly so. With each passing year, Nagarjuna is only getting better. As he turned 62 on Sunday, the face of the Akkineni film family continues to give 26-year-old stars a run for their money — in looks, and physique, not to mention in box-office collections. No wonder, he’s popularly known as ‘King’ Nagarjuna in Telugu cinema.

Understandably, Sunday had social media erupting with stars and celebrities wishing the evergreen hero on his special day. Best friend and megastar Chiranjeevi was among the first to reach out to Nagarjuna. “An ultra cool guy who takes life as it comes and makes most of each moment,” he tweeted. “An Actor who is constantly experimenting and pushing boundaries. And Most of All a dear Friend to have for all times and forever, dearest @iamnagarjuna, a Very Happy Birthday to you!”

Nagarjuna has remained one of Telugu cinema’s most loved and enduring stars. He is also well-known in Bollywood with outings such as ‘Khudagawah’, ‘Criminal’ and the soon-to-be-released ‘Brahmastra’.

As the son and inheritor of his famous father Akkineni Nageswara Rao’s acting legacy, Nagarjuna had an easy entry into Telugu industry. But thereafter, its been his show all the way.

Although he began his film career as a child actor in several movies, his formal entry into tinsel town was in the year 1986, with his debut in ‘Vikram’, a remake of the Subhash Ghai movie ‘Hero’ (1983), starring Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Seshadri.

Ever since, Nagarjuna has continued to stay relevant with Telugu audiences across the world. From family-oriented movies, mythologicals, edge-of-seat thrillers, to romance, and even comedies — he’s done them all. His biggest asset is his ability to ease himself effortlessly into any role — old, middle-aged, or young — without looking odd or out of place.

Whether it’s choosing roles or picking projects, Nagarjuna is the cool analyst at work. Many an eyebrow was raised when he went out on a limb to give director Ram Gopal Verma his break with his 1990 Telugu debut film ‘Siva’.

The movie revolving around colleges and politics was a blockbuster and trendsetter rolled in one. The visual of the central character Siva snapping a bicycle chain and wrapping it around his palm, to take on the bad guys, is one of Nagarjuna’s iconic scenes. For Ram Gopal Varma, it was ticket to bigger successes.

Incidentally, ace director Mani Ratnam’s sole Telugu directorial venture ‘Geetanjali’ starred Nagarjuna and was a super smash hit.

Apart from giving new talent a break behind the camera, Nagarjuna is also known for introducing new faces to the silver screen, foremost among them being Anushka Shetty of ‘Baahubali’ fame.

Whether it’s televison or on OTT platforms, Nagarjuna has made sure he’s a part of the game as it evolves. Be it ‘Bigg Boss’ or ‘KBC’, he has been on all.

For now, ‘King’ Nagarjuna has his hands full as actor, producer, television anchor, mentor and businessman.