Mudras (gesture, seal) are subtle physical movements of the hands, face, and or body. Complex mudras involve the whole body in a combination of asana, pranayama, bandha and visualization, while simple mudras range from hand positions to meditation techniques. The purpose of a mudra is to activate and create a circuit of prana in the body. This circuit channels the prana in a specific way to create a subtle effect on koshas and to regulate and awaken the prana, chakras and kundalini, Mudras are used only after proficiency in asana, pranayama and bandha has been achieved, and when one has obtained some cultivation and awareness of prana. In hatha yoga, the level of progression is asana, pranayama, bandha, mudra, samadhi. Thus, mudra is the advanced practice leading up to the attainment of enlightenment or samadhi. Mudras are the bestowers of the eight divine powers. They are held in high esteem by all the siddhas and are difficult for even the gods to attain. (Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 3:8)
Hasta (hand) mudras used primarily in meditation, but can also be incorporated in asana and pranayama as well as in daily activities. Hasta mudras redirect the prana traveling through the fingers back into the body. These mudras are the most common and numerous of the categories of mudras. Many of the hasta mudras have been developed to help with mental and emotional issues as well as heal physical diseases. Hasta mudras should be done with both hands, with light pressure of the fingers and held for 5-45 minutes.
Mana (head) mudras utilize the sense organs of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and lips. These mudras are done only as meditation exercises and require intense concentration to engage for even short periods of time. Mana mudras are deeply inwardly focusing and induce higher states of consciousness.
Contraction mudras involve the engagement of subtle skeletal muscles, mostly in the area of the pelvis. These mudras concentrate the prana in the body and prime the energy channels (nadis) for the awakening of kundalini.
Kaya (postural) mudras are similar to asana, but combine the other types of simple mudras with pranayama and concentration. These are the most complicated mudras and require the most amounts of concentration and focus to hold. Kaya mudras invigorate the prana in the body and direct the prana into specific chakras (energy centers).
With the exception of hasta mudras, these techniques have traditionally been kept secret and could only be learned from a guru. A list of hasta mudras is now available in our premium yoga poses section.
Name: NAGARJUNA
Date Birth: 29th August 1959
Time of Birth: 0 Hour 27 Minutes
Place of Birth: Chennai
Father: Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Mother: Annapurna
First Marriage: 18/02/1984, Vijaya Sesh kalyana Mandapam, Chennai
First Son: Naga Chaitanya (born at 4:20 am on 23/11/1986 at Swapna Nursing Home, Hyderabad)
Second Marriage: 11/06/1992, Adayar, Chennai
First Son: Akhil (born at 1:58 am on 08/04/1994 at San Jose, USA)
Entrance into films: on 20/09/1985 at Annapurna Studios
Years Active: 1986 onwards
Number of films Acted in: 65
Nandi Awards won: 1
Date Birth: 29th August 1959
Time of Birth: 0 Hour 27 Minutes
Place of Birth: Chennai
Father: Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Mother: Annapurna
First Marriage: 18/02/1984, Vijaya Sesh kalyana Mandapam, Chennai
First Son: Naga Chaitanya (born at 4:20 am on 23/11/1986 at Swapna Nursing Home, Hyderabad)
Second Marriage: 11/06/1992, Adayar, Chennai
First Son: Akhil (born at 1:58 am on 08/04/1994 at San Jose, USA)
Entrance into films: on 20/09/1985 at Annapurna Studios
Years Active: 1986 onwards
Number of films Acted in: 65
Nandi Awards won: 1
Biography:
Nagarjuna, son of the Ever Green Hero Akkineni Negeswara Rao, needs no introduction. Nag's foray into films is an act of passion. Vikram(1986), his debutante film (a Telugu remake of Hindi Hero), made a splash at the hearts of youth. Being just 4 films old he proved that he can match his father's image as a tragedy king with a lovely film called 'Majnu'. He developed the strategy of inducting debutante directors to his films with Sankeerthana. Though this musical saga did not sustain at box-office, Nag has gone a step ahead as an actor.
He paired up with his legendry father Sr Akkineni to produce 'Collectorgari Abbai'. But it was the Midas touch of Aswini Dutt that proved Nag's Box-office credentials. For the first time he paired up with Sridevi, who has done innumerable films with Nag's father Nageswara Rao, in the film 'Akhari Poratam' that ran for 100 days in 12 centers.
It was 'Geetanjali' that has taken Nag's image as a romantic hero to new heights. Deft direction by Manirathnam and crafty camera work by PC Sriram added to necessary gloss to the romantic image of nag. If you think Geetanjali is a big hit. You are in a soup. Because the box-office magnitude of 'Geetanjali' appears minuscule compared to the stormy film that followed which has taken all the youth's heart away. 'Shiva' gave Nag much needed action Hero image and Nag made inroads into the hearts of students. Ultimate winner of 'Shiva' is none but Ram Gopal Varma, a raw director. It was the Nag's risky decision to employ a video operator as the director for his home production that did the trick. All the scorning critics who criticized Nag for his decision to choose Varma during the production of film are silenced by it's stupendous success.
Fueled by the success of Shiva, Nag made a grand entry into Hindi filmdom with the remake of 'Shiva'. If you think Nag is fond of Shiva just because it changed the pace of his cine career, you are mistaken. This film has also got him Amala, his soul mate.
After the storm of Shiva, there was a period lull for sometime. Again Nag stormed with 'President gari pellam' brough him the imageof mass hero. And his heavy box office romancing continued till Hello Brother. Hello Brother showed the stamina of Nag at box office by running in 28 centers. His comic antics are best exploited by the director EVV. With this film Nag's portfolio of acting is enriched with a rich ingredient called comedy.
Again the period of lull continued for few years till he spotted another creative director in making, Krishna Vamsi. Nag paired up with Vamsi to produce one of the biggest Telugu romantic blockbusters, 'Ninne Pelladatha'. After this film Nag faced the biggest challenge in his cine career. That is to act as Annamayya, the legendary singer/poet of Medieval times. And Nag came out flying colors. Talk about the result. It ran for 100 days in 42 centers. He has become a household demigod with his presence of 'Annamayya'.
Every good thing in life comes with a few sacrifices. He wanted to get rid of sacred 'Annamayya' image and wanted people to accept him as a romantic hero. He produced a string of romantic films later. All of them disappointed him at box-office and he went through the same kind of lull he had after 'Shiva' and 'Hello Brother'. All his fans waited in an unabated breathlessness for him to produce a film of Shiva magnitude. And Nag did not disappointed them. He came up with the blockbuster of the year, Nuvvu Vastavani. The super good film's caption for this film, 'We don't break records ... we create records', seems to be very appropriate for Nag. Nagarjuna then did a hattrick by coming up with an Azad action film with patriotic tinge followed by a cameo in 'Ninne Premista'. This hattrick gave way to another lean patch which was broken by the stupendous hit of Santosham.
Nag is called as the celluloid scientist. He is best talent spotter around. To his credit he blooded Geetha Krishna, Ram Gopal Varma, Uppalapati Narayana Rao, Praveen Gandhi, VR Pratap and Jonnalagadda srinivasa Rao, Dasarath. He offered 'Ninne Pelladatha' to a new comer Krishna Vamsi just by looking at a 5 minute rushes of 'Gulabi'. Nag will be known as the person who changed the mindset of industry with his creative thinking. He encouraged the new technology in his films. And others followed him. Nagarjuna is never after the number game and did not encourage the culture dragging movies for 50 days and 100 days for the sake of records and false prestige.
He delivered two consecutive hits in the form of Santosham and Manmadhudu in tha last year and he is coming up with 'Shivamani 98480 22338' in the year2006.
He paired up with his legendry father Sr Akkineni to produce 'Collectorgari Abbai'. But it was the Midas touch of Aswini Dutt that proved Nag's Box-office credentials. For the first time he paired up with Sridevi, who has done innumerable films with Nag's father Nageswara Rao, in the film 'Akhari Poratam' that ran for 100 days in 12 centers.
It was 'Geetanjali' that has taken Nag's image as a romantic hero to new heights. Deft direction by Manirathnam and crafty camera work by PC Sriram added to necessary gloss to the romantic image of nag. If you think Geetanjali is a big hit. You are in a soup. Because the box-office magnitude of 'Geetanjali' appears minuscule compared to the stormy film that followed which has taken all the youth's heart away. 'Shiva' gave Nag much needed action Hero image and Nag made inroads into the hearts of students. Ultimate winner of 'Shiva' is none but Ram Gopal Varma, a raw director. It was the Nag's risky decision to employ a video operator as the director for his home production that did the trick. All the scorning critics who criticized Nag for his decision to choose Varma during the production of film are silenced by it's stupendous success.
Fueled by the success of Shiva, Nag made a grand entry into Hindi filmdom with the remake of 'Shiva'. If you think Nag is fond of Shiva just because it changed the pace of his cine career, you are mistaken. This film has also got him Amala, his soul mate.
After the storm of Shiva, there was a period lull for sometime. Again Nag stormed with 'President gari pellam' brough him the imageof mass hero. And his heavy box office romancing continued till Hello Brother. Hello Brother showed the stamina of Nag at box office by running in 28 centers. His comic antics are best exploited by the director EVV. With this film Nag's portfolio of acting is enriched with a rich ingredient called comedy.
Again the period of lull continued for few years till he spotted another creative director in making, Krishna Vamsi. Nag paired up with Vamsi to produce one of the biggest Telugu romantic blockbusters, 'Ninne Pelladatha'. After this film Nag faced the biggest challenge in his cine career. That is to act as Annamayya, the legendary singer/poet of Medieval times. And Nag came out flying colors. Talk about the result. It ran for 100 days in 42 centers. He has become a household demigod with his presence of 'Annamayya'.
Every good thing in life comes with a few sacrifices. He wanted to get rid of sacred 'Annamayya' image and wanted people to accept him as a romantic hero. He produced a string of romantic films later. All of them disappointed him at box-office and he went through the same kind of lull he had after 'Shiva' and 'Hello Brother'. All his fans waited in an unabated breathlessness for him to produce a film of Shiva magnitude. And Nag did not disappointed them. He came up with the blockbuster of the year, Nuvvu Vastavani. The super good film's caption for this film, 'We don't break records ... we create records', seems to be very appropriate for Nag. Nagarjuna then did a hattrick by coming up with an Azad action film with patriotic tinge followed by a cameo in 'Ninne Premista'. This hattrick gave way to another lean patch which was broken by the stupendous hit of Santosham.
Nag is called as the celluloid scientist. He is best talent spotter around. To his credit he blooded Geetha Krishna, Ram Gopal Varma, Uppalapati Narayana Rao, Praveen Gandhi, VR Pratap and Jonnalagadda srinivasa Rao, Dasarath. He offered 'Ninne Pelladatha' to a new comer Krishna Vamsi just by looking at a 5 minute rushes of 'Gulabi'. Nag will be known as the person who changed the mindset of industry with his creative thinking. He encouraged the new technology in his films. And others followed him. Nagarjuna is never after the number game and did not encourage the culture dragging movies for 50 days and 100 days for the sake of records and false prestige.
He delivered two consecutive hits in the form of Santosham and Manmadhudu in tha last year and he is coming up with 'Shivamani 98480 22338' in the year2006.
Meeting up with him, why, even chatting with NAGARJUNA over the phone, is an experience far removed from the usual one of film star vs. journalist. Nag is always unfailingly polite arid warm..... you get an instant sense of welcome as you just pick off where you left off never mind if that was a few months ago! Truly, the Last of the Gentlemen! Unfortunately, such is the BO roulette wheel, that he seems to have hit a low patch of late, but I surely speak for all his well-wishers when I pray that the sun sets soon on this phase. Nag on Nagarjuna...
Q. So what’s responsible for the current low ebb in your career?
Answer : (laughs heartily) Is there a low ebb in my career? It happens. Up and down, up and down. It’s not the first time. I like to take a little risk, which is not always accepted by the people. But its the choice I make. Sometimes -when it pays off! - people say, ‘path breaking movies’ - Ofcourse, the price we pay is heavy. If the movie is a flop, career goes down, money doesn’t come in. But it is exciting in a way.....to take risks, do things others haven’t done. Right from the beginning, I started off like this.
Q. Why is it that the Telugu film industry doesn’t really take any gambles with their scripts, unlike say, Malayalam films?
Answer : See, the Malayalam film industry, their films are very different from the rest of the country. Almost every family in Kerala is educated, trained in some art form. Its their culture, so you can’t really compare. If we can’ t make their kind of films, they can’t really make our kind of films either. Here, a movie like Shiva or Geetanjali - that kind of script hasn’t come again.
Q. Do you think having a huge image can be detrimental in its own way?
Answer : It is a major problem - when the image is bigger than the star. From the producers and the distributors point of view, I have to consider the image thing too. They also expect certain things. I don’t have complete freedom as an artiste. Definitely. Knowing the pulse of the audience is the most difficult thing. You just can’t dictate that. Not here, not in Hollywood, not anywhere. We call it ‘organized chaos’! It falls into place - sometimes. We all make mistakes.
Q. So is the ‘camp’ system prevalent in the Telugu film industry?
Answer : Not really. Camp system was there, but quite a while back. It’s a very healthy attitude today, Maybe the producers are comfortable with us, or whatever, but there are others who’ve worked with Chiranjeevi, Venky, Balakrishna, me, There are very few roles that an actor can talk about in his lifetime. How many scripts are there, the same six songs, family sentiments. I have done roles like Chiranjeevi and Venky, and vice versa. At the most, I can change my hairstyle or my clothes!
Q. What if You weren’t an actor...
Answer : I have no idea. That’s the reason I got into films! I am a Mechanical Engineer, I tried pursuing that as a profession when I was in America, but things just didn’t work out. I guess its called Destiny. Today, if I find something more interesting, I’ll quit films.
Q. How do you handle the gossip that is the necessary baggage of a high profile person
Answer : A long time ago, it used to bother me. Especially when someone gets hurt. See, what happens is.....you and me are good friends. Someone twists it, and somewhere along, you and me start feeling awkward. A barrier builds up. Yes, the Bombay Press has written more, and the Deccan Chronicle lifts it off from there. Its fine, Deccan Chronicle has to survive too - it’s either me or Chandrababu Naidu they write about!
Q. Is it easier then, to be married to someone from the same profession?
Answer : I think any intelligent, secure person should understand. If they don’t have trust, if they’re not happy, then all these problems come up. I’ve seen lots of families who are very happy, where the husband is an actor or director, or the wife is from films, Even if they’re not from films, any other profession - they find a balance somewhere, they are secure in their relationship. Emotions never mature. They remain the same.
Answer : (laughs heartily) Is there a low ebb in my career? It happens. Up and down, up and down. It’s not the first time. I like to take a little risk, which is not always accepted by the people. But its the choice I make. Sometimes -when it pays off! - people say, ‘path breaking movies’ - Ofcourse, the price we pay is heavy. If the movie is a flop, career goes down, money doesn’t come in. But it is exciting in a way.....to take risks, do things others haven’t done. Right from the beginning, I started off like this.
Answer : See, the Malayalam film industry, their films are very different from the rest of the country. Almost every family in Kerala is educated, trained in some art form. Its their culture, so you can’t really compare. If we can’ t make their kind of films, they can’t really make our kind of films either. Here, a movie like Shiva or Geetanjali - that kind of script hasn’t come again.
Answer : It is a major problem - when the image is bigger than the star. From the producers and the distributors point of view, I have to consider the image thing too. They also expect certain things. I don’t have complete freedom as an artiste. Definitely. Knowing the pulse of the audience is the most difficult thing. You just can’t dictate that. Not here, not in Hollywood, not anywhere. We call it ‘organized chaos’! It falls into place - sometimes. We all make mistakes.
Answer : Not really. Camp system was there, but quite a while back. It’s a very healthy attitude today, Maybe the producers are comfortable with us, or whatever, but there are others who’ve worked with Chiranjeevi, Venky, Balakrishna, me, There are very few roles that an actor can talk about in his lifetime. How many scripts are there, the same six songs, family sentiments. I have done roles like Chiranjeevi and Venky, and vice versa. At the most, I can change my hairstyle or my clothes!
Answer : I have no idea. That’s the reason I got into films! I am a Mechanical Engineer, I tried pursuing that as a profession when I was in America, but things just didn’t work out. I guess its called Destiny. Today, if I find something more interesting, I’ll quit films.
Answer : A long time ago, it used to bother me. Especially when someone gets hurt. See, what happens is.....you and me are good friends. Someone twists it, and somewhere along, you and me start feeling awkward. A barrier builds up. Yes, the Bombay Press has written more, and the Deccan Chronicle lifts it off from there. Its fine, Deccan Chronicle has to survive too - it’s either me or Chandrababu Naidu they write about!
Answer : I think any intelligent, secure person should understand. If they don’t have trust, if they’re not happy, then all these problems come up. I’ve seen lots of families who are very happy, where the husband is an actor or director, or the wife is from films, Even if they’re not from films, any other profession - they find a balance somewhere, they are secure in their relationship. Emotions never mature. They remain the same.
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