Interview | Naga Chaitanya on father Nagarjuna’s legacy: ‘View it as inspiration rather than benchmark for comparison’

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Naga Chaitanya opens up about living up to his father Nagarjuna’s legacy, and his biggest fear.

Back in 2009, Naga Chaitanya made his acting debut as a spirited college student in Josh, delighting fans of the Akkineni family who saw it as a new addition to the legacy of his grandfather Akkineni Nageswara Rao and father Nagarjuna. Seventeen years on, Chaitanya admits that he doesn’t view the legacy as a weight to carry, but rather as a source of inspiration.

Naga Chaitanya got married to Sobhita Dhulipala in 2024.

Naga Chaitanya on his father’s legacy

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Naga Chaitanya spoke about the expectations that come with carrying forward his father Nagarjuna’s legacy, while also revealing the fear that weighs on him the most.

After his debut, he went on to feature in projects such as Ye Maaya Chesave, 100% Love, Tadakha, Manam, Majili, Venky Mama, Love Story, and Bangarraju. He made his OTT debut in 2023 with Dhootha.

When asked about carving a niche for himself apart from his father’s legacy, Chaitanya shares that his focus has always been on building a career defined by his own choices and storytelling sensibilities.

“I view my father’s legacy as an inspiration rather than a benchmark for comparison. My journey is about carving out my own path and creating a set of stories that are uniquely mine,” he says.

Looking back at his career, Chaitanya continues, “Love Story was by far both the most challenging and rewarding—it pushed me emotionally and left a lasting impact on how I perceive relationships and resilience. Other roles like Thandel, Majili, and Dhootha also challenged me in different ways, helping me grow as an actor and deepen my understanding of human emotions.”

On his biggest fear

For Chaitanya, the pursuit of cinema has always been about striking a fine balance between mass appeal and meaningful storytelling.

Opening up about his approach to choosing projects, the actor mentions, “I look for scripts that strike a balance – stories that have the potential to reach a wide audience while also staying deeply rooted and meaningful. It’s important for me that a project offers both appeal and artistic depth.”

Here, Chaitanya admitted that repetition is his biggest fear, which is why he gravitates towards experimenting with diverse roles. “Repetition is my biggest fear. Experimenting different roles keeps me evolving not just as an actor, but as a person and constantly pushes me to discover new facets of myself,” says the actor, who was recently announced as brand ambassador for Seagram's Royal Stag packaged drinking water along with Sidharth Malhotra, and rapper Badshah.

Looking ahead, Chaitanya, who is married to Sobhita Dhulipala, says his goal is simple as he puts “to be part of stories that stand the test of time. For me, success is creating characters and narratives that stay with people long after the credits roll.”

Apart from acting, the actor has also expressed a keen interest in stepping behind the camera and delving deeper into the craft of filmmaking.

“Direction might not be on my immediate radar, but producing is something I’m definitely keen on. In fact, I’m already working towards producing a film, possibly soon,” he says on a concluding note.