N. T. Rama Rao
Encyclopedia
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (born Nimmakuru
Nimmakuru
Nimmakuru is a village in Krishna District Andhra Pradesh. It is the birth place of N.T.Rama Rao....

, Krishna District
Krishna district
Krishna District is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the third longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 32.08% is urban as of...

, Andhra Pradesh; 28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), also known as NTR and fondly referred to as Anna Garu, was an Indian film
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...

 actor, director, producer, and a politician. He first gained popularity in the early 1950s as "messiah of the masses" and has become one of the most prominent figures in the history of Telugu Cinema. He made his debut as an actor in Mana Desam
Mana Desam
Mana Desam or Manadesam is a Telugu social film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by actress Krishnaveni. The title means "Our Country" in Telugu...

(1949) a Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 social film directed by L. V. Prasad
L. V. Prasad
Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao , more popularly known as L. V. Prasad was an Indian film producer and actor. He was a recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime contribution to cinema from the Government of India for the year 1982...

. He then continued to work in Telugu cinema, often portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles. He is best known for his portrayals of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 deities, especially Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 and Lord Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

. "NTR" starred in over 320 Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 films, that made him a mythic figure among the Telugu-speaking people of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

.

He founded the Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...

 in 1982 and served 3 terms as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1983 and 1994. He was awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...

 by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 in 1968, recognising his contribution to Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...

. After his career in movies, Rao became a political activist and a political party leader. He is known as an advocate of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

's distinct cultural identity, distinguishing it from Madras State
Madras State
Madras State was the name by which the Indian districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Northern Kerala, Bellary and Dakshina Kannada were collectively known as from 1950 to 1953....

 with which it was often associated. Besides Telugu, he has also acted in a few Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 and Kannada films.

Early life

Born in Nimmakuru
Nimmakuru
Nimmakuru is a village in Krishna District Andhra Pradesh. It is the birth place of N.T.Rama Rao....

, a small village in Gudivada
Gudivada
Gudivada is a census town in Krishna district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a mandal headquarters with more than 100,000 inhabitants, lying as junction of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam-Bhimavaram-Nuzvid-Eluru in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh of...

 taluk on 28 May 1923, NTR had his early education from tutor Valluru Subba Rao, in his native village. His parents, Venkataramamma and Laxmaiah, gave him in adoption to the latter's brother, Ramaiah and his wife Chandramma. He studied up to Class V in his village as there was no further education there, Ramaiah and his wife took their adopted son to Vijayawada and got him admitted into Class VI in the municipal school. He spent the following seven years in Yanamalakuduru, a small village near Vijayawada by the banks of river Krishna, at the home of D. Buchi Venkata Krishna Chowdary. He passed the matriculation examination
Matriculation examination
The term matriculation examination refers to educational qualifications in many countries. Usually this has to do with student's transfer from secondary to tertiary education. For more detailed information, see "Matriculation"....

 in 1940 and joined the SRR and CVR College in Vijayawada
Vijayawada
Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...

. While doing his Intermediate course, he supplemented the family income by supplying milk to hotels in Vijayawada on his bicycle. At the end of the first year, the students decided to stage a play written by Viswanadha Satyanarayana, the well-known Telugu poet and writer and the head of the Telugu department of the college. He joined the Andhra-Christian College
Andhra-Christian College
Andhra-Christian College, popularly known as AC College, is one of the oldest colleges in India. AC College is part of the educational enterprise of the Protestant churches...

 at Guntur for the Bachelor of Arts course in 1945. From a young age he showed an interest in singing and developed a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...

 singing voice as a young man.

Career as an actor

N. T. Rama Rao started his career playing a police inspector in the movie Mana Desam
Mana Desam
Mana Desam or Manadesam is a Telugu social film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by actress Krishnaveni. The title means "Our Country" in Telugu...

(1949). The role was offered by director L V Prasad. Next he appeared in Palletoori Pilla
Palletoori Pilla
Palletoori Pilla is a 1950 Telugu film directed by B. A. Subba Rao. The title role is played by Anjali Devi. The story was loosely based on the English play, Pizaro by Richard Sheridan. The film is a commercial hit and ran for more than 100 days in 6 centres. This is also the first film wherein...

, directed by B. A. Subba Rao
B. A. Subba Rao
Bugata Venkata Subba Rao better known as B. A. Subba Rao is a Telugu film producer and director. He is recipient of Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for his lifetime contribution of Telugu cinema....

.
It marked the first occasion that Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Akkineni Nageswara Rao , also known as ANR, is a Telugu cinema actor from Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh. Nageswara Rao has worked in several genres of films in his 70-year acting career, including mythological, social, and drama films...

 acted together for the first time. The title role was played by Anjali Devi
Anjali Devi
Anjali Devi is a veteran Telugu actress and producer. She is well known for her mythological role as Sita in Lava Kusha and roles in movies like Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali.- Biography :...

 and the story was loosely based on the English play, Pizaro by Richard Sherton. The film was a commercial hit and ran for more than 100 days in 6 centres. He appeared in over 320 films, although only around 292 films are often accounted for, and he became a legend in Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...

. He often portrayed Hindu mythological gods or heroes, but also made an ideal villain.

He portrayed Lord Krishna in Maya Bazaar, Sri Krishnarjuna Yudham
Sri Krishnarjuna Yudham
Sri Krishnarjuna Yudham is a 1962 film in Telugu and Tamil languages directed by Kadiri Venkata Reddy. It stars N. T...

, Daana Veera Soora Karna
Daana Veera Soora Karna
Daana Veera Soora Karna is a 1977 Telugu Hindu movie produced and directed by N. T. Rama Rao. He played three pivotal roles Karna, Duryodhana, and Krishna. One of his sons, Balakrishna played a short role of Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, who in the later years became one of the popular movie actors...

, Lord Rama in (Lava Kusa), Bheeshma (Bheeshma) & Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...

 (Bhookailas & Sri Sita rama kalyanam), and Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

 and also Bruhannala (Nartanasala).
Later he became a screenwriter. Rao received no formal academic training in movie script writing. Yet he authored several screen plays for his own movies as well as for other producer's movies.

He actively campaigned for the construction of a large number of cinemas in rural locations and was influential in designing and implementing a financial system that funded the production and distribution of movies.

First term

Rao founded the Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...

 in 1982 and served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. His reason for founding the Telugu Desam Party was based on a historic need to rid the state of the corrupt and inept Congress rule. When he started his political career he was already a very popular actor in the Telugu film industry. Rama Rao was unanimously elected leader of Telugu Dasam Legislature Party on 8 January 1983 with 10 cabinet ministers and five ministers of State. He became the 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and was reelected three times between 1983 and 1994.

To promote the Telugu Desam Party, Rama Rao travelled across the state of Andhra Pradesh, crisscrossing all the districts, in his van dubbed "Chaitanya Ratham" (Chaitanyam literally means bringing to life or movement). With his son Hari Krishna as a driver, Rama Rao notched up over 75,000 kilometres during his 1982 campaign, a distinctive sight with the van's yellow party flags and banners and Rao sitting on top of the vehicle hailing the crowds. Rama Rao campaigned for restoring the dignity of the Telugu people and advocated the forming a closer bond between the government and the common people, going into the elections with the slogan, Telugu vari Atma Gauravam, meaning "Telugu people's self-respect. He reflected socialist views in several of his policies in that he believed that state must take care of the people that are below poverty line and everyone must have their basic necessities fulfilled. He campaigned to secure basic necessities such as home, clothes and food for the people and to provide subsidies on clothes and houses to the needy. He was also an advocate of women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...

 and worked on a bill to amend inheritance law to provide equal rights for women to inherit ancestral property, enacted later, in 1986.

Rama Rao's extensive tour in the Chaitanya Ratham vehicle helped to successfully mobilise people and recruit potential leaders and members for his newly founded party. The Congress Party, then in power, panicked at the response and replaced the Chief Minister Bhavanam Venkataram with a more experienced and seasoned leader, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy. Reddy, who was Chief Minister for just over 3 months, could not secure victory for the Congress Party in the ensuing elections in January 1983. The newly formed Telugu Desam Party won with significant margins in all three regions of the State (Coastal Andhra, Rayala Seema, and Telengana), winning over 200 seats in the 294 seat State Assembly against 56 seats by the Congress Party.
Rama Rao himself contested elections from two constituencies, Tirupathi in Chittor District and Gudivada
Gudivada
Gudivada is a census town in Krishna district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a mandal headquarters with more than 100,000 inhabitants, lying as junction of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam-Bhimavaram-Nuzvid-Eluru in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh of...

 in Krishna district
Krishna district
Krishna District is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the third longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 32.08% is urban as of...

, and won both the seats.

On Independence Day, 15 August 1984, NTR was removed from office by the then governor Ramlal. His finance minister, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao
Nadendla Bhaskara Rao
Nadendla Bhaskara Rao was the chief minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh for a brief period in 1983. He holds the dubious distinction of serving the shortest term as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh – 31 days...

, a former Congress man, was made the Chief Minister by the Ramlal. Bhaskar Rao purportedly had the support of majority MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh) which was never the case. Rama Rao disputed the claims by Bhaskara Rao and demonstrated his strength by bringing all the MLAs supporting him, which was a majority in the 294 member assembly, to the Raj Bhavan (Governor's Office). Governor Ramlal did not relent and Rama Rao campaigned for restoration of democracy by mobilising the support of people and various political parties in the country including Janata Party
Janata Party
The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...

, Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...

 (BJP), Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...

 (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...

 (CPM), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar...

 (DMK), and National Conference. During the one month crisis, the MLAs supporting Rama Rao were secured in a secret place to avoid horse-trading. Due to mobilisation of several political parties and the people and due to bad press, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

, then Prime Minister and head of Congress Party, unwillingly removed Governor Ramlal and appointed a congress party veteran, Shankar Dayal Sharma, as governor of Andhra Pradesh to pave the way for restoring Rama Rao. Shankar Dayal Sharma removed Bhaskara Rao from power and restored Rama Rao as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in September 1984. He recommended dissolution of the Assembly and called for new elections in the state to ensure the people had a fresh choice to elect their representatives.

In the following month, on 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

 was assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...

 became Prime Minister in her place. In the ensuing national elections to the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

, the Congress party won convincingly all over the country except in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where Rama Rao's Telugu Desam party secured a landslide victory. Senior Leaders of Congress party including Brahmananda Reddy, a former Chief Minister, and Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, a former Chief Minister, lost in their constituencies of Narasarao Pet and Kurnool respectively to the Telugu Desam Party. Telugu Desam became the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha.

Second Term

The Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...

 operations were significantly computerised and a systematic local party structure was built and this resulted in the establishment of a stable second political party that survived his death. Rao introduced the concept of strong states with a strong center in his discussions about state power with Gandhi and ushered in a new era of empowered local governments, within the framework of India.

He suffered a mild stroke and was unable to campaign in the 1989 election, which he lost.

Third Term

Great N.T. Rama Rao returned to power in 1994 winning 226 seats for his party and his allies in a 294 seat Assembly. Congress party won only 26 seats. The BJP which contested 280 seats on its own won just three seats. In 1995, he was ousted from power by an internal revolution led by his son-in-law Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who became the president of the party and the chief minister of the state.

Personal life

In May 1942, at the age of 20, NTR married Basava Tarakam, the daughter of his maternal uncle. The couple had eight sons (Late. Rama Krishna, Balakrishna, Harikrishna
Nandamuri Harikrishna
Nandamuri Harikrishna , is a Politician who has also acted in Telugu movies.He is the son of the founder of Telugu Desam Party, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. In 2008 he was a candidate of the Telugu Desam Party for election to Rajya Sabha. Janaki Ram, Kalyan Ram and Jr. NTR are his sons and Suhasini...

, Jayakrishna, Late. Nandamuri Saikrishna, jr Ramakrishna, Jayashankarakrishna and Mohanakrishna) and four daughters (Daggubati Purandareswari, Lokeswari and Bhuvaneswari and Uma Maheswari). Commemorating his son Late. Ramakrishna, NTR started the film studio Ramakrishna Studios
Ramakrishna Studios
Ramakrishna Studios is a film production house located at Nacharam, Hyderabad, India. It was constructed by N. T. Rama Rao in memory of his son Rama Krishna...

 in Nacharam
Nacharam
Nacharam is a suburb of Hyderabad capital city of Andhra Pradesh State in India.-Commercial area:It houses, Nacharam Industrial Development Park, Shoe market, Pharmaceutical plants, Info city, central institute of medicinal and aromatic plants, GVK Biosciences etc.-Transport:Nacharam is...

. Nandamuri Harikrishna
Nandamuri Harikrishna
Nandamuri Harikrishna , is a Politician who has also acted in Telugu movies.He is the son of the founder of Telugu Desam Party, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. In 2008 he was a candidate of the Telugu Desam Party for election to Rajya Sabha. Janaki Ram, Kalyan Ram and Jr. NTR are his sons and Suhasini...

 is an actor-turned-politician elected to the Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...

 (upper house of India's Parliament) representing Telugu Desam party. Nandamuri Balakrishna is a prominent actor in the Telugu film industry, while Jayakrishna is a noted cinematographer. Bhuvaneswari is the wife of Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

. Daggubati Purandareswari is a politician currently serving as the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...

 in the Ministry of Human Resource Development. NTR's grandchildren include the Telugu cine actors N. T. Rama Rao Jr.
N. T. Rama Rao Jr.
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao , popularly known as Jr. NTR or Tarak, is a Telugu film actor. He is son of actor and politician Nandamuri Harikrishna and Shalini...

, Kalyan Ram
Kalyan Ram
Nandamuri Kalyan Ram is a Telugu actor and producer. He is one of the grandsons of the late Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, who was an actor, a statesman, founder of the Telugu Desam Party, and the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is the son of Nandamuri Harikrishna and Lakshmi. He has one...

 (both are sons of Harikrishna) and Taraka Ratna
Taraka Ratna
Nandamuri Taraka Ratna is an Indian film actor in Telugu cinema, born as "Obulesu". He is the grandson of Veteran Telugu actor N.T. Rama Rao. He was born on January 8, 1983 to Nandamuri Mohanakrishna.-Filmography:-External links:...

 (son of Mohanakrishna). NTR's first wife, Mrs. Basava Tarakam, died of cancer in 1985. The Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute was established in her memory in Hyderabad. In 1993, at the age of 70, NTR married Lakshmi Parvathi. After the succession of Telugu Desam party by Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Lakshmi Parvathi founded her own political party NTR Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi)
NTR Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi)
NTR Telugu Desam Party is a regional political party in the India state of Andhra Pradesh. The party was founded by Lakshmi Parvathi, the widow of the film star and Telugu Desam Party politician N.T. Rama Rao...

.

Popularity

Though widely recognised for his mythological characters, N.T. Rama Rao is considered one of the greatest actors in Telugu film, and in general in South Indian films. He was referred to by fans as "Nata Sarvabhouma" (Emperor of Acting) in Telugu.

NTR National Award

NTR National Award
NTR National Award
The NTR National Award is an annual award to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.NTR National Film Award is an award instituted in the honor of an Indian Film Actor, director, producer, and a politician, N.T. Rama Rao by the state of Andhra...

 is a National level Award instituted in the honour of Sri.N.T.Rama Rao by the state of Andhra Pradesh government. The NTR National Award is an annual award to recognise people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...

. It is an award considered in prestige next only to Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema given annually by the Government of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. It was instituted in 1969, the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke, considered as the father of Indian cinema.The award for a particular year is...

 for film industry personalities in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.
The Award carries a cash prize of 500,000/- and a memento. The award has been given since 1996.

National Film Awards

  • National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu
    National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu
    The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu Cinema winners: The awards received by the films released in the previous year are listed below...

     – Silver Medal – Varakatnam
    Varakatnam
    Varakatnam is a 1968 Telugu film directed by N. T. Rama Rao. It was awarded National Film Award for the best film in Telugu Language in 1968. The film is based on the widely prevalent custom of Varakatnam meaning Dowry.-Cast:...


Filmfare Awards South

  • 1972 – Best Actor for Badi Panthulu
    Badi Panthulu
    Badi Panthulu is a 1972 Telugu Drama film directed by P. Chandrasekhara Reddy and starring N. T. Rama Rao and Anjali Devi. This is the first film of popular actress Sridevi....


Other honours

  • Padmashri Award from Government Of India
    Government of India
    The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

  • 1978 – Honorary Doctorate from Andhra University
    Andhra University
    Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...

    .

See also

  • Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...

  • List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh
  • Chief Ministership of N. T. Rama Rao
    Chief Ministership of N. T. Rama Rao
    The political priorities of N. T. Rama Rao were widely debated with the right accusing him of economic populism, the left accusing him of diverting resources away for government employee benefits, and his supporters arguing that they are worth while investments into development and social net...

  • NTR National Award
    NTR National Award
    The NTR National Award is an annual award to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.NTR National Film Award is an award instituted in the honor of an Indian Film Actor, director, producer, and a politician, N.T. Rama Rao by the state of Andhra...

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