Tollywood superstar and veteran actor Nagarjuna celebrates his 63rd birthday today, August 29. Nagarjuna’s acting career spans almost four decades. Besides acting, he also contributed immensely to introducing several talented filmmakers to the Telugu film industry. He gave many superhit films in collaboration with these filmmakers.
Here’s a list of directors who made their debut in Telugu cinema with Nagarjuna starrer films.
Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma made his debut in Telugu industry with Siva featuring Nagarjuna in the lead role. The 1989 movie was a big hit and it was released in Hindi in 1990 with the title Shiva. This also made Nagarjuna a popular name among the Bollywood audiences. Amala played the female lead in the movie. This movie narrated the story of Shiva, a man who can’t tolerate corrupt practices in his college. In the pursuit of ending corruption, he soon finds himself in a face-off with anti-social elements.
Geetha Krishna
Nagarjuna paved the way for filmmaker Geetha Krishna’s entry into Tollywood with the film Sankeerthana, which was released in 1987. Sankeerthana narrated the story of Keerthana, who is considered a goddess in her village. When she falls in love with the son of a fisherman, troubles start mounting for her. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
Narayana Rao Uppalapati
Nagarjuna helped Narayana Rao Uppalapati mark his directorial debut with the movie Jaitra Yatra in 1991. It narrated the story of Teja and his fight against local politicians, as well as corrupt police officers. Jaitra Yatra was also received well by the masses.
Praveen Gandhi
Nagarjuna was instrumental in helping Praveen Gandhi bag his first film as director, titled Ratchagan. Ratchagan, which was released in 1997, narrated the story of Ajay, who falls in love with Soniya, the daughter of a high profile businessman. This film received a mixed response from viewers with many criticizing its direction and screenplay.
VR Pratap
Late filmmaker VR Pratap directed his first film, Nuvvu Vasthavani, for Nagarjuna. The 2002 film narrated the relationship between a singer and his love interest, who loses her vision. Nuvvu Vasthavani also received a mixed response from the audiences.
RR Shinde
Late director RR Shinde made his first film, Ninne Premista, as a director with Nagarjuna in 2000. Before this movie, he had only worked as a co-director. The Telugu romance film was the official remake of the Tamil film Nee Varuvai Ena. Ninne Premista was a roaring success at the box office.
