Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala thank PM for honouring ANR

New Delhi: Veteran actor Nagarjuna expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remembering his father and Telugu cinema legend Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) during the 117th episode of Mann Ki Baat, his monthly radio programme.

In his Sunday address, the prime minister honoured ANR in his birth centenary year, acknowledging his significant contribution to Telugu cinema through films that "beautifully portrayed Indian traditions and values".

On X, Nagarjuna shared a clip from Mann Ki Baat and wrote a brief note of acknowledgement tagging Modi.

"Thank you, Hon'ble Prime Minister shri @narendramodi ji, for honoring my father, ANR Garu, on his centenary year alongside such iconic legends.

"His vision and contributions to Indian cinema continue to inspire generations, and this recognition means the world to our family and countless admirers of his work. #ANRLivesON #IndianCinema," the actor wrote.

Chaitanya also wrote to the prime minister on social media.

"Thank you Shri Modi ji @narendramodi for your wonderful words about ANR Garu's artistic merit and his efforts that have played a key role in shaping the brilliant Telugu film industry as we know it today. Means a lot to hear these words from a stalwart like you! Blessed and immensely grateful," he said.

His wife and actor Sobhita Dhulipala also shared the same statement in an Instagram post with a white heart as caption.

In his seven-decade career, ANR starred in diverse films such as "Vipra Narayana", "Tenali Krishna", "Sri Ramadasu", "LailaMajnu", and "Balaraju".

Besides ANR, Modi remembered three more icons of Indian cinema Raj Kapoor, Mohammed Rafi, and Tapan Sinha in their birth centenary year in his last Mann Ki Baat address of 2024.

The prime minister said: "In 2024, we are celebrating the birth centenary of several film personalities who were instrumental in bringing global recognition to the country... The lives of these personalities is a source of inspiration for our film industry."