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N. T. Rama Rao Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

N. T. Rama Rao

Bio/Wiki
Full NameNandamuri Taraka Rama Rao
NicknameNTR
Profession(s)Actor, Producer, Director, Editor, Politician
Physical Stats & More
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourGrey
Politics
Political PartyTelugu Desam Party (1982–1996)
Telugu Desam Party Flag
Political Journey1982: Launched Telugu Desam Party
1983: Won Andhra Pradesh's State Assembly elections from both the seats he contested (Gudivada and Tirupati)
1983: Became first ever Non-Congress politician to become Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
1984: He was removed from his post as he was recovering from the By-Pass Surgery he underwent
1984: Sworn in as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the second time (after contesting fresh elections)
1989: Lost State Assembly elections to Congress
1994: Came in power once again by becoming the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the third time after making an alliance with Non-Congress parties; scoring a hat-trick from Hindupur
1995: Ousted from his party and Government after his party and family members turned against him
Personal Life
Date of Birth28 May 1923
BirthplaceNimmakuru, Madras Presidency, British India (Now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
Date of Death18 January 1996
Place of DeathHyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Age (at the time of death)72 Years
Death CauseCardiac Arrest
Zodiac sign/Sun signGemini
SignatureNTR's Signature
NationalityIndian
HometownNimmakuru, Madras Presidency, British India (Now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
SchoolMunicipal school, Vijayawada
College/University• SRR & CVR College, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
• Andhra-Christian College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
Educational QualificationBachelors of Arts
DebutFilm (Actor): Mana Desam (Our nation), 1949
NTR's Debut Film
Director: Seetharama Kalyanam (1961)
ReligionHinduism
CasteRajput
Awards, Honours, Achievements National Film Awards

1954: Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in Telugu: Producer — National Art Theater for Thodu Dongalu
1960: Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in Telugu: Producer — National Art Theater for Seetharama Kalyanam
1968: National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu Director- National Art Theater for Varakatnam

Civilian honor

1968: Padma Shri award by the Government of India

Rashtrapati Awards

1954: Best Acting for Raju Peda
1963: Best Acting for Lava Kusa

Nandi Awards

1970: Nandi Award for Best Actor for Kodalu Diddina Kapuram

Filmfare Awards South

1972: Best Telugu Actor for Badi Panthulu

Other Awards:

1978: Honourary Doctorate from Andhra University
ControversyHe was knocked out from his party and Government due to a sudden coup led by his Cabinet colleague and his Son-in-law, N. Chandrababu Naidu. Two of his sons played a crucial role in this coup as Naidu promised them power in the party. Also, there were rumours of NTR's plans of handing over the reins of the party to his second wife, Lakshmi Parvathi. Although he tried harder, he failed miserably in regaining his party's and public support. In an interview, NTR claimed that it was a planned treachery and referred his sons and Naidu as power hungry and untrustworthy.
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Marriage DateFirst Marriage: 1942
Second Marriage: 1993
Family
Wife/SpouseFirst Wife: Basavatarakam Nandamuri (m. 1942-till her death in 1985)
NTR With His First Wife (Basavatarakam Nandamuri)
Second Wife: Lakshmi Parvathi (a Telugu writer and his biographer, m. 1993-till his death)
NTR With His Second Wife (Lakshmi Parvathi)
ChildrenSon(s)-
• Nandamuri Ramakrishna Sr. (Deceased)
• Nandamuri Jayakrishna
• Nandamuri Saikrishna (Deceased)
Nandamuri Harikrishna (Actor, Deceased)
• Nandamuri Mohanakrishna
• Nandamuri Balakrishna (Actor)
• Nandamuri Ramakrishna Jr. (Film Producer)
• Nandamuri Jayashankar
NTR With His Sons
Daughter(s)-
• Daggubati Purandeswari (Politician)
NTR's Daughter (Daggubati Purandareswari) With Her Husband
• Nara Bhuvaneswari
NTR's Daughter (Nara Bhuvaneswari) With Her Husband (Nara Chandra Babu Naidu)
• Garapati Lokeswari
• Kantamaneni Uma
ParentsFather- Nandamuri Lakshmaih (Farmer)
Mother- Venkata Ramamma (Farmer)
NTR With His Mother
SiblingsBrother- N. Trivikrama Rao (Director, Producer, Screenwriter in Telugu Cinema)
NTR's Brother
Sister- None
Style Quotient
Assets/PropertiesTwo houses in Madras, two houses and 2.62 acre plot in Hyderabad, 20 acres of farm land in Rangareddy district and, apart from some shares, National Savings Certificates and compulsory deposits, 1,836 grammes of jewellery and silverware worth ₹ 1 lakh
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)Not Known

N. T. Rama Rao

Some Lesser Known Facts About N. T. Rama Rao

  • Did N. T. Rama Rao smoke?: Yes

    NTR Smoking

    NTR Smoking

  • Did N. T. Rama Rao drink alcohol?: Not Known
  • Rao was born into a poor farming family.
  • As there was no school in his village, he recieved his early education in a village shed from his teacher, Valluru Subba Rao.
  • He was adopted by his paternal uncle, Nandamuri Ramaiah.
  • In 1933, his family shifted to Vijayawada, where he completed his schooling from a municipal school.
  • He wasn’t good at studies and cleared his 12th standard exam in the 3rd attempt.
  • When he was 20, he got married to ‘Basava Tarakam’ and had 8 sons and 4 daughters with her.
  • He was among the 7 candidates who cleared the Madras Service Commission Exam. The total number of candidates who appeared for the exam was 1100.
  • In 1947, he started working as a sub-registrar at Madras Service Commission with a salary of ₹190/month (an esteemed job). However, he left just after 3 weeks of joining so that he could concentrate on his acting.
  • He was a fine painter and had won a prize at state level competition for it in 1941-42.
  • He played the role of a policeman in his debut film ‘Mana Desam’ (1949) and since then, there was no looking back for him. For the film, his remuneration was ₹1000

  • He had played the role of Krishna in 17 films in movies including the Tamil film ‘Karnan’, ‘Sri Krishnarjuna Yudham’, and ‘Daana Veera Soora Karna’. His first mythological movie was the blockbuster film ‘Maya Bazaar’ (1957), where he essayed Lord Krishna for the first time.

  • He portrayed Lord Rama in films ‘Lava Kusha’ and ‘Shri Ramanjaneya Yuddham’, as Ravana in the films ‘Bhookailas’ and ‘Seetharama Kalyanam’, and Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in films ‘Dakshayagnam’ and ‘Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam,’ respectively.

  • He stopped playing princely roles and took up the poor yet heroic roles fighting against the exploitations and discriminations existing in our society. His such movies connected well with the mass and these include ‘Devudu Chesina Manushulu’, ‘Justice Chowdhary’, ‘Driver Ramudu’, ‘Bobbili Puli’, ‘Kondaveeti Simham’, ‘Sardar Papa Rayudu’, ‘Adavi Ramudu’, and ‘Vetagadu.’

  • In 1962, his eldest son Nandamuri Ramakrishna Sr died. In his memory, he founded the film studio Ramakrishna Studios.
  • Under his production houses, “National Art Theater Private Limited, Madras and Ramakrishna Studios, Hyderabad”, he produced many of his movies and a few of other actors’.
  • He has been credited for directing a dozen movies and having appeared in more than 300 movies.
  • He always had been a keen learner. He was 40 when he learned dancing from a Kuchipudi dancer Vempati Chinna Satyam for his role in the movie ‘Nartanasala’ (1963).

  • He was the first Indian politician to use Rath Yatra for campaigning during elections. He, along with his son Nandamuri Harikrishna (an actor and politician), travelled around 75,000 kilometres across Andhra Pradesh on his Chevrolet van. He gave the slogan, “Telugu Vari Atma Gauravam” (Telugu people’s self-respect) while campaigning to restore the dignity of the Telugu people.

    NTR's Rath Yatra During Campaigning

    NTR’s Rath Yatra During Campaigning

  • He was the first non-congress Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and served the state between 1983 and 1994.
  • In 1984, his fellow actor and friend M. G. Ramachandran (MGR), who then was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, was unable to campaign in the state elections because of being unwell, NTR campaigned and handled all the party affairs for All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

    NTR With His Friend M. G. Ramachandran

    NTR With His Friend M. G. Ramachandran

  • In 1984, he underwent coronary bypass surgery in the U.S.
  • In 1984, when he was recovering from his surgery, Governor Ram Lal dismissed his Ministry and Nadendla Bhaskara Rao was made the Chief Minister.
  • In 1985, his first wife ‘Basava Tarakam’ died of cancer. Soon after her death, he founded the Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad.

    NTR Founded the Hospital (Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital) In Memory Of Her Deceased Wife

    NTR Founded the Hospital (Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital) In Memory Of Her Deceased Wife

  • In 1993, he married Lakshmi Parvathi, who was around 30 years younger to him.
  • He always backed the laws related to women’s rights in inheritance, a law that provides equal rights for women in ancestral property.
  • In 1996, he passed away due to a heart attack.
  • His wife Lakshmi Parvathi did not immerse his ashes until ‘Chandrababu Naidu‘ lost State Assembly elections in 2004 (8 years later).
  • In 2019, Vidya Balan played the role of his first wife ‘Basava Tarakam’ in his biopic whereas his son, Balakrishna enacted the role of NTR.

    Vidya Balan To Play The Role Of NTR's Wife In His Biopic

    Vidya Balan To Play The Role Of NTR’s Wife In His Biopic

  • A commemorative coin of Rs. 100 was unveiled by the President of India Droupadi Murmu on 29 August 2023; the event was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Center in New Delhi on the occasion of N. T. Rama Rao’s hundredth birth anniversary.

    Droupadi Murmu (third from the left) at the launch of N. T. Rama Rao’s commemorative coin

    Droupadi Murmu (third from the left) at the launch of N. T. Rama Rao’s commemorative coin