In a recent interview, actor Sumanth commented that Nagarjuna showed the maximum range among the Big Four (Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, and Venkatesh being the other three actors). He named Geethanjali, Annamayya and Sri Ramadasu to buttress his point.
Nagarjuna's fan base has always made a similar argument. They feel that their favorite actor used to be bold when it came to experimentation. Only Nag could have trusted a rookie filmmaker like Ram Gopal Varma (the classic Shiva). Only Nag could have done films like Rakshakudu. Only Nag could have bared his torso in a glamourized song in Ninne Pelladatha.
That said, Nag's experiments have mostly yielded negative results in the last two decades. Kedi, Officer, Wild Dog, and Manmadhudu 2 tried to be 'hatke' in fits and starts. They all backfired on him. Young filmmakers have largely failed him. Gaganam in 2011 and Vikram Kumar's Manam a couple of years later were exceptions. Oopiri was very good but it was an adaptation.
