Last updated on July 5th, 2023 at 04:59 pm
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was an Indian actor, filmmaker, and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was born on 28 May 1923. He predominantly starred in over 300 films in the Telugu cinema and was referred to as the Viswa Vikhyatha Nata Sarwa Bhouma.
Rao received three National Film Awards: one for co-producing Thodu Dongalu (1954) under National Art Theater, Madras, one for directing Seetharama Kalyanam (1960) also under National Art Theater, Madras, and one for directing Varakatnam (1970).
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao won the Nandi Award for Best Actor for Kodalu Diddina Kapuram in 1970 and the Inaugural Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu in 1972 for Badi Panthulu.
In 1949, Rao made his acting debut in the Telugu social film Mana Desam, directed by L. V. Prasad. He became well-known for his portrayals of Hindu deities in the 1950s, especially Krishna, Karna, and Rama. This made him a “messiah of the masses” and a prominent figure in the history of cinema.
He became known for portraying both antagonistic and heroic characters in films. N.T.R. was voted “Greatest Indian Bollywood Actor of All Time” in a 2013 CNN-IBN national poll conducted on the occasion of the Centenary of Indian Cinema. He starred in such films as Pathala Bhairavi (1951), Malliswari (1951), Mayabazar (1957), and Nartanasala (1963).
CNN-IBN’s list of “100 greatest Indian films of all time” included all four films. Ummadi Kutumbam, which he co-produced, was nominated by the Film Federation of India as one of its entries to the 1968 Moscow Film Festival. He has also acted in a few Tamil films besides Telugu. One of the leading method actors of Indian cinema, Rao was widely recognized for his portrayal of mythological characters.
In 1968, Rao was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. Entering politics after his career in films, Rao became an important public figure. He served three tumultuous terms as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1983 and 1995 and founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982.
He was known as an advocate of Andhra Pradesh’s distinct cultural identity, which distinguished it from the erstwhile Madras State with which it was often associated. He played a key role in the formation of the National Front, a coalition of non-Congress parties, which governed India from 1989 to 1990 at the national level. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was died on 18 January 1996.
