Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996) was born on 28 May 1923 in a Telugu Hindu agrarian family in Nimmakuru, a small village in Gudivada taluk of Krishna district, which was a part of the erstwhile Madras Presidency of British India (currently Andhra Pradesh). His parents Lakshmaiah (father) and Venkata Ramamma (mother) gave him in adoption to his paternal uncle Nandamuri Ramaiah because his uncle and aunt were childless. 

He was first educated by a teacher who came from a nearby village, whom he would attribute his command of Telugu to, as well as his father, an aspiring thespian and patron of the arts. After completing his primary education, his father sent him to Vijayawada, where he continued his education, matriculating in 1940 before studying at SRR & CVR College and completed a bachelor’s degree from Andhra Christian College in Guntur.  He was a fine painter and had won a prize at state level competition for it in 1941-42.

He met Subhash Chandra Bose in Vijayawada and presented him his portrayal. While studying in SRR College his Telugu lecturer Sri Viswanadha Satyanarayana (one of the greatest Telugu scholars, poet, writer and first Jnanpeet awardee from Andhra Pradesh) encouraged N T RamaRao to act on stage a lady character in a Telugu drama. Rama Rao played that lady role but refused to remove his mustache. While studying in Andhra Christian College, Guntur Rama Rao was very active in social and cultural activities.

During that time, he was instrumental in starting National Art theatre (NAT) and staged several plays along with his friends Kongara Jaggayya, Mukkamala, Nagabhushanam, K V S Sharma and many others. Most of these people later became popular Telugu film actors. Right from his intermediate days Rama Rao started sharing the family responsibilities by supplying milk to hotels in cycle. He did tobacco trading for some time. He ran a printing press but incurred losses. For nearly a month he also ran a mess in Mumbai. He had good financial discipline right from his young days and never went beyond his means. He got an opportunity to join the military service but his family did not agree for it.

In May 1943, at the age of 20, while still pursuing his Intermediate, Rao married Smt. Basava Rama Tarakam, the daughter of his maternal uncle. After qualifying for the civil service in what was then the Madras Presidency under British India, he took a job as a sub-registrar in Madras Service Commission at Mangalagiri, northeast of Guntur. He nevertheless quit within three weeks to pursue a career in acting.

Entry into films

Popular film producer B.A. Subba Rao saw N T Rama Rao s phot with famous director L.V. Prasad, called N T Rama Rao to Chennai and booked him as hero in the film “Palletoori Pilla” (Village Girl). N T Rama Rao resigned his job as Sub- Registrar. Due to certain issues this film could not take off as per schedule. Meanwhile NTR got chance to act in the role of police inspector in the film “Mana Desam” (Our Country) which was his first film released in 1949. In 1950 “Palletoori Pilla” was released in which both NTR and another Telugu legendry actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao acted together for the first time.

In the same year L V Prasad’s film “Shaaukar “too was released in which NTR and Janaki played the roles of hero and heroine, respectively. After this film Janaki came to be known a Shaaukar Janaki. Gaining confidence on his film career NTR shifted to Chennai. The films “Paatala Bhairavi (1951), Malleswari (1951), “Pelli Chesi Chudu” (1952) followed by “Chandra Haaram” established NTR as leading hero in Telugu film industry.  Malleswari film directed by B.N. Reddy was featured at the Peking Film Festival in Beijing, China on 14, March 1953. On the centenary of Indian cinema in April 2013, CNN-IBN included Mallishwari in its list, “The 100 greatest Indian films of all time”.

 Paatala Bhairavi film ran 100 days in 10 centres and was the first Telugu film to run for 200 days. NTR did not look back thereafter and his film career graph started rising rapidly and reached the peak very soon.  NTR acted as hero in the film,” Chandee Rani” directed by Smt. Bhanumathi Ramakrishna which was the first pan Indian film released simultaneously in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi languages in August, 1953. NTR played the full-length role of Lord Krishna for the first time in the film “Maaya Bazaar “(1956). Maya Bazaar catapulted NTR from matinee idol to a house hold name in Andhra Pradesh. More than 5 lakh calendars with NTR s photo as Lord Krishna were sold out as hot cakes post Maya Bazaar, which was a record at that time.

NTR did not hesitate to play the roles with negative shades. In 1958 he played the full-length role of Lord Rama for the first time in the film “Sampurna Ramayanam”.  In 1959 he donned the role of Ravana Brahma in the film “Bhoo Kailash” which was well received by the audience. In the very next year in 1960 he played the role of Lord Venkateshwara in the film   “Sree Venkateswara Mahatyam”. This film was a block buster movie and they had to keep Hundis at cinema theatres to collect the offerings made by the audience to Lord Balaji. After the release of this movie, many devotees from the then undivided Andhra Pradesh who were visiting Tirupati Lord Balaji started going from there to Madras to pay a visit to the residence of NT Rama Rao!  one could see several tourist buses standing near NTR s residence in the early mornings and the author of this article in his childhood was a witness to this on countless number of occasions.  

NTR s first directorial venture was “Seetharama Kalyanam” (1961). Impressed with NTRs direction and action in this film (NTR played the role of Ravana in this film) Kanchi Paramacharya Sri Jagadguru Chandrasekhara Swami gave his blessings to NTR. This film was a commercial success. It also won the Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in Telugu at the 8th National Film Awards.

He acted as Lord Rama in the film “Lava Kusha “the first colour film in Telugu (1963) which became a very big hit. He went on to play the role of Lord Krishna in 18 films, that include some landmark films like- Sri Krishnarjuna Yudham (1962), Tamil film Karnan (1964). NTR played the role of Lord Shiva in Dakshyayagnam (1962). In 1963 another block buster   ‘Nartanasala” was released in which NTR played the role of “ Bruhannala (Arjuna the third brother of Pandavas lived in disguise in the name of Bruhannala, a eunuch who was a dance master to King Virat’s daughter Uttara in Mahabharat).

NTR played this role at the age of 40 years and he learnt Kuchipudi dance for this character from the legendry Kuchipudi dance master Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, for three months. The film was a commercial success, completing a 100-day run in 19 centers and a 200-day run in two centers. It was also dubbed into Bengali and Odia languages. Nartanasala won the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film and the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu. At the third Afro-Asian Film Festival held at Jakarta in 1964, Nartanasala received two awards: Best Male Actor (S.V. Ranga Rao) and Best Art Director (T. V. S. Sarma). For the April 2013 centennial of Indian cinema, News18 included Nartanasala in its list of “The 100 greatest Indian films of all time”.

NTR acted as Lord Rama, Lord Krishna and Ravana, three roles in the film “Sri Krishna Satya” (1971) which was the last film directed by the noted filmmaker K. V. Reddy. Jayalalitha played dual roles- Satyabhama and Chandrasena in this film. (Both NTR and Jayalalitha in later years entered politics and became chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, respectively). “ Dana Veera Soora Karna”  a 1977 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film co-written, produced and directed by N. T. Rama Rao . Based on the life of Karna from the Mahabharata, the film stars Rama Rao in three roles: the title character Karna, Duryodhana, and Krishna. This film was completed in a record time of 43 working days, considering that N. T. Rama Rao required at least three hours for makeup and two hours for removal for each of his three roles. NTR produced and directed the film “Srimad Virataparvam” in 1979. NTR played five roles in this film- Krishna, Arjuna, Duryodhana, Brihannala and Kichaka.

He also enacted the roles of various characters of Mahabharata – Bheeshma, Arjuna, Karna and Duryodhana.  He directed 16 films and produced 8 films, through his film production house National Art Theater Private Limited, Madras and later Ramakrishna Studios, Hyderabad.

 He donned multiple roles like- actor, director, producer, screenplay and story writer, all very successfully. NTR was known for being highly disciplined with good work ethics and a perfectionist. He used to have his make up at house and reach the studio for shooting at 6 AM sharp. Costumes for mythological characters like Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, Bheema, Arjuna, Duryodhana used to be very heavy. Yet NTR used to wear the costumes from morning to evening patiently and act with perfection as per the wishes of the film directors. When NTR was acting and directing mythological films he used to follow strict vegetarian diet and advised all artists to follow the same and be teetotallers.  NTR acted in over 300 films. In 2013, NTR was voted as “Greatest Indian Actor of All Time” in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted on the occasion of the Centenary of Indian Cinema.

Social work:

Even though NTR was very busy in the films he was always the first film actor in South India to come forward and gather co-artists to mobilise funds for social cause whenever there was any calamity or natural disaster.   He took several such initiatives and notable among them are- 1952 Rayala Seema droughts, 1962 Indo-China War, police force welfare fund (1965), Indo-Pakistan War (1965), Cyclone relief fund for Andhra Pradesh Coastal Areas (1969), National Drought Relief Fund (1973), Divi Seema Cyclone (1977).    

Entry into politics

The Indian National Congress party won all the state elections from the emergence of the state on 1 October 1953 till 1983 in Andhra Pradesh. The Congress government that came to power in Andhra Pradesh in 1978 became unpopular due to internal rivalry and frequent replacement of the CM. In 5 years, AP had seen 5 Congress CMs! However, Congress party did not have a powerful alternative in AP. 

In 1981 NTR was acting in the film “Sardar Paparayudu” and felt the urge to enter into active politics. NTR completed all his film commitments and On 29^th March, 1982 he announced the launch of his Telugu Desam Party and plunged into politics. He converted his old Chevorlet vehicle into “Chaitanya Rath” for his roadshows and political campaigning.  He started wearing Khaki dress a symbol for labour class, went to the nook and corner of AP in his “Chaitanya Rath”, travelling 75,000 KMs, invoking Telugu pride and self-respect. His fourth son Harikrishna was the Chauffeur of the Chiatanya Rath.

In 9 months’ time after starting his Telugu Desam political party NTR became the first non-Congress CM of AP on 7^th January, 1983. Unlike his film career which had a smooth run, NTR s political career had seen several ups and downs.

On 14^th April, 1983 NTR started wearing saffron clothes. On 6^th July, 1983 NTR introduced R.s 2 per KG rice for the poor which was the first of its kind in Bharat. He also introduced a “mid-day-meal” program for “primary school children” coming from families who were earning “less than INR 500/month”.  Poor people treated him as demi God. However, NTRs decision of reducing the retirement age limit of State government employees from 58 to 55 made him unpopular.

August 1984 coup and come back

On 15^th August, 1984 while NTR was in the US to undergo open heart surgery, he was removed as CM by the Governor Ram Lal . On 16^th August, 1984 Nadendla Bhaskar Rao who was the finance minister in NTR s cabinet became CM of AP, replacing NTR, claiming the support of majority MLAs with the tacit support of the then AP Governor Ram Lal and the Union Government headed by Smt. Indira Gandhi. Several national parties and the press supported NTR, pressure was mounted on the Union Government and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi reluctantly removed Governor Ramlal and appointed a Congress veteran, Shankar Dayal Sharma, as the governor of Andhra Pradesh. finally in a month’s time the impasse ended and NTR was reinstated as the CM of AP on 16^th September, 1984.  

In 1984, when the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and fellow senior actor M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R.) was unable to campaign in the state assembly election due to him being hospitalized in the US, N.T.R., who was a close friend of M.G.R., and R. M. Veerappan who was handling the party affairs, campaigned for the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Bharat had mid-term general elections to Parliament in December, 1984, followed by the assassination of the PM Smt. Indira Gandhi on 31^st October, 1984. Congress headed by Rajiv Gandhi got landslide victory winning 404 seats out of 514 seats nationwide. However, in AP TDP won 30 parliament seats out of 42, and became the first regional party to become the main opposition party in the Parliament.  NTR went for mid-term polls in March, 1984 seeking fresh mandate from the people and came back to power with his party TDP winning 202 seats out of 294 in AP. NTR initiated revenue reforms by abolishing the Patel Patwari system and introduced Mandal system to decentralise the power.

On 9^th September, 1985 NTR brought an Act giving equal rights to women in the father’s property and that was the first of its kind in Bharat.  NTR s wife Smt. Basava Tarakam died of cancer in 1985. In her memory, NTR established Smt Nandamuri Basava Taraka Rama Rao Memorial Cancer Foundation (NBTRCF) in February, 1989. In collaboration with Indo American Cancer Organisation NBTRCF started Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in 2000, in Hyderabad.

NTRs role in national politics  

National Front (an alternative to Congress at the national level) was formed and on 17^th September, 1988 and NTR was elected as its chairman. However, NTRs autocratic style during the period 1985-89 made him unpopular among the masses and in 1989 State general elections TDP lost power to Congress in AP. Congress won 181 out of 294 seats in AP. Nevertheless, the formation of an effective alternative to Congress at the national level, through National Front owes a lot to NTR.

NTR  established himself in national politics, forming a coalition of non-Congress parties  under the National Front which included parties, besides the TDP, such as the Janata Dal and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). This alliance governed India between 1989 and 1990 with support from the BJP. Meanwhile, NTR assumed the position as the Leader of Opposition in the state.

In 1991 after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on 21^st May, 1991 (in the middle of campaigning of the general elections) no single party could get the required majority to form the government. Congress headed by P V Narasimha Rao formed minority government with the support of other parties. As Rao did not contest the general elections, after becoming the PM he contested in the by election from Nandyal, AP. NTR did not field any candidate from TDP against Rao as a mark of respect to Rao who was PM at that time and also a fellow Telugu man (son of the soil). Rao won the by elections with an unbelievable margin of 5.8 lakh votes.

Last years

In September, 1993 NTR at the age of 70 years had his second marriage with Lakshmi Parvathi. In December, 1994 State general elections TDP headed by NTR retained his power in alliance with the Left Front. This alliance won 269 seats in the 294 seat Assembly, with the TDP alone winning 226. In January, 1995 first time prohibition was imposed in AP that was part of TDPs poll promises. Populist schemes led to burden on State’s exchequer. During this time many senior TDP leaders felt uncomfortable due to NTRs second wife Lakshmi Parvathi’s active role in the party and alleged interference in government affairs. To avert a vertical split in the party senior TDP leaders persuaded Chandra Babu Naidu to take the lead and on 1 st September, 1995 Naidu became CM, backed the majority MLAs of TDP. On 18^th January, 1996 NTR died of cardiac arrest at the age of 73.

Before NTR entered politics, Telugu people were known as Madrasees in Uttar Bharat. NTRs entry into politics made people to realise that Telugus have an identity of their own that is distinct from Madrasees.     

Awards and recognitions: