Happy birthday Nagarjuna: Things to know about the dashing, evergreen actor

Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao was born on 29 August 1959. Apart from being an actor, he is also a film producer, television host and businessman.

Nagarjuna has acted in Telugu cinema as well as some Hindi and Tamil language films. He has won nine Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and two National Film Awards. He won Best Film in Telugu for Ninne Belladatta (1996) and Best Actor for Annamayya (1997).

In 1989, she acted in the Mani Ratnam-directed film Geethanjali. It won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film in Entertainment. In the same year, he acted in the commercially successful action film Siva, directed by Ram Gopal Varma.

Nagarjuna made his Bollywood debut in 1990 with the Hindi remake of Siva. Known for his work in biographical films, he played the 15th-century music composer Annamacharya in Annamayya (1997), Yavakri (son of saint Bharadwaja) in Agni Varsha (2002), Major Padmapani Acharya in the war film LOC: Kargil (2003), and the 17th-century music composer in Sri Ramadasu. Kancherla Gopanna (2006), 17th century composer Kancherla Gopanna in Sheerdasu (2006), Sheermata (2006) in Sheerdasu (2006) and Sutala Hanmandu (2006). Chanthaludu in Jagadguru Adisankarar (2013) and Hadiram Bawaji in Om Namo Venkatesaya (2017).

Nagarjuna was also seen in Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra last year. The film also starred Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan and starred the actor as an achaelogist weilding the Nandi astra.

In 2013, he represented South Indian cinema at the Delhi Film Festival's 100 Years of Indian Cinema celebration.

He was born in Chennai. His father is famous actor Nageswar Rao. His family migrated from Chennai to Hyderabad. There he completed his schooling from Hyderabad Public School and his secondary education from Little Flower Junior College, Hyderabad. He completed one year of Mechanical Engineering from Anna University, Kindi College of Engineering, Chennai. Former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikanth was his college friend.

He has was earlier married to Lashmi Dagupathi and then to Amala Akkineni. Nagarjuna fathered two sons, Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni. Both the sons are shining as actors. Nagarjuna acted in the only film in Tamil called Ratsakaan. Thus, he is well-known to the fans of Tamil Nadu. After that, he acted in the films Satra, Inji Idupazhaki and Dozha.