I argued back saying ‘We had to give the audience what they wanted.’ He would counter-argue saying, ‘Look at the Chinese, Koreans. He would ask, ‘Why does our cinema need to ape the West? Our culture and heritage are so rich. Then just when I came in as a leading man Indian cinema become mongrelized, Westernized and corrupted. He loved me my brother and our children equally.Īs an actor he enjoyed acting until the 1970s and 80s. Inside the house he was a sorted-out, genial householder always ready to lend a patient ear to our problems. Outside the house he was this iconic deified figure. He was the most complete human being I know.Īnd yet I connected with him like any son does to his father. At home he was a complete husband, father and grandfather. He carried his aura way beyond the screen. Even if he was not recognized by someone as an actor, my father still commanded the same respect. When we went out together, the respect he commanded was visible even to a child. Right from my childhood I looked at him with awe. It’s the only biographical life-sketch we have of him. He made an hour-long speech, which we fortunately recorded. He went to each and every table to talk to all his friends, some of them from America. There were 200 tables at his birthday dinner. On his 90th birthday in September he decided to call all his friends and family from India and abroad, around 2,000 people. On the other hand, maybe he did let us know in his own way that the end was near. He hadn't really prepared us for his going, although he had cancer. Telugu actor Nagarjuna remembers his father, the legendary actor-producer Akkineni Nageswara Rao, who passed away on January 22.