The IIT Hyderabad announced the institution of “ANR Award for Acting and Performing Arts” in the name of Sri Akkineni Nageswara Rao, the legendary actor. The award has been instituted by the Akkineni family through the Akkineni International Foundation.

The award ANR has been constructed to discover and develop the extraordinary talent for acting and performing arts, which will accelerate creativity and innovation in the minds of young artists. Official communication by IIT Hyderabad stressed that this award ceremony would encourage a new age of performers who would work towards excellence.

Prof. BS Murty, IIT Hyderabad Director, said it was a great pleasure to receive the Akkineni International Foundation Award in this way and he further added that the cultural heritage and arts have always been an essential component of any academic community.

Sri Akkineni Nageswara Rao, commonly referred to as ANR, was one of the legendary actors and an ace film producer who cut across Telugu cinema. In a career that extended from 1941 till 2014, he received a number of awards including Padma Shri in 1968, Padma Bhushan in 1988, Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1990, and Padma Vibhushan in 2011. With the setting up of this award, nurturing of artistic talent can be well taken care of, while rich heritage can be preserved in Indian Cinema.