N. T. Rama Rao: Difference between revisions
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After his career in movies, Rama Rao entered politics. Rao founded the [[Telugu Desam Party]] (TDP) in 1982 and served three tumultuous terms as [[Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh]] between 1983 and 1995. He was known as an advocate of Andhra Pradesh's distinct cultural identity, distinguishing it from [[Madras State]] with which it was often associated. He died of a [[cardiac arrest]] in [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]] on 18 January 1996<ref name="NTR DEATH"/>. |
After his career in movies, Rama Rao entered politics. Rao founded the [[Telugu Desam Party]] (TDP) in 1982 and served three tumultuous terms as [[Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh]] between 1983 and 1995. He was known as an advocate of Andhra Pradesh's distinct cultural identity, distinguishing it from [[Madras State]] with which it was often associated. He died of a [[cardiac arrest]] in [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]] on 18 January 1996<ref name="NTR DEATH"/>. |
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In his film career, Rama Rao received two [[National Film Awards]] and one [[Filmfare Awards South|South Filmfare Award]]<ref name="ntr honours">http://chowdarystars.blogspot.in/p/sr-ntr-awards.html</ref> He received the [[Padma Shri]] by the [[Government of India]] in 1968, recognizing his contribution to [[Telugu cinema]]. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from [[Andhra University]] in 1978.<ref name="ntr honours"/> Two national level awards have been named after him viz. the NTR National Award and the NTR National Literary Award. The [[Begumpet Airport]] in Hyderabad and the [[Dr. N.T.R. University of Health Sciences|government medical university]] in |
In his film career, Rama Rao received two [[National Film Awards]] and one [[Filmfare Awards South|South Filmfare Award]]<ref name="ntr honours">http://chowdarystars.blogspot.in/p/sr-ntr-awards.html</ref> He received the [[Padma Shri]] by the [[Government of India]] in 1968, recognizing his contribution to [[Telugu cinema]]. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from [[Andhra University]] in 1978.<ref name="ntr honours"/> Two national level awards have been named after him viz. the NTR National Award and the NTR National Literary Award. The [[Begumpet Airport]] in Hyderabad and the [[Dr. N.T.R. University of Health Sciences|government medical university]] in Andhra Pradesh are named after him.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/article3699547.ece |title=Cities / Vijayawada : Active lifestyle keeps diabetes at bay, says health varsity V-C |publisher=The Hindu |date=2012-07-29 |accessdate=2012-08-22}}</ref> |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
Revision as of 09:01, 14 October 2012
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao | |
---|---|
10th, 11th & 12th Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh | |
Preceded by | Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy |
Succeeded by | Chandrababu Naidu |
Personal details | |
Born | Nimmakuru, Krishna District, Madras Presidency, British India | 28 May 1923
Died | 18 January 1996 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India | (aged 72)
Cause of death | Cardiac arrest |
Political party | Telugu Desam Party |
Spouse(s) | Basava Tarakam (deceased) Lakshmi Parvathi |
Children | Nandamuri Balakrishna Nandamuri Harikrishna Nandamuri Saikrishna Nandamuri Ramakrishna Nandamuri Jayakrishna Nandamuri Mohanakrishna Nandamuri Jayashankarakrishna Daggubati Purandeswari Nara Bhuvaneshwari Lokeswari Uma Maheswari |
Known for | Cinema, Politics |
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), popularly known as NTR, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and a politician.
Rama Rao made his debut as an actor in a Telugu social film Mana Desam, directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949. In total he starred in over 320 Telugu films and became one of the most prominent figures in the history of Telugu cinema.[1] Besides Telugu, he has also acted in a few Tamil and Kannada films.[2] He was extremely famous for his portrayals of Hindu deities and mythological figures, especially Krishna and Rama,[3] roles which made him a messiah of the masses in Andhra Pradesh.[4] He was also well known for his commercial roles, especially those of an angry young man fighting against the system. N.T. Rama Rao is recognised even today as one of the leading mythological and method actors of Indian cinema.[5] He was referred to in the media as Viswa Vikhyatha Nata Sarvabhouma.[6]
After his career in movies, Rama Rao entered politics. Rao founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and served three tumultuous terms as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1983 and 1995. He was known as an advocate of Andhra Pradesh's distinct cultural identity, distinguishing it from Madras State with which it was often associated. He died of a cardiac arrest in Hyderabad on 18 January 1996[7].
In his film career, Rama Rao received two National Film Awards and one South Filmfare Award[8] He received the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1968, recognizing his contribution to Telugu cinema. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Andhra University in 1978.[8] Two national level awards have been named after him viz. the NTR National Award and the NTR National Literary Award. The Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad and the government medical university in Andhra Pradesh are named after him.[9]
Early life
Born in Nimmakuru, a small village in Gudivada taluk on 28 May 1923, NTR had his early education from tutor Valluru Subba Rao, in his native village.
He spent the following years in Yanamalakuduru, a small village near Vijayawada by the banks of river Krishna.
He passed the matriculation examination in 1940 and joined the SRR and CVR College in Vijayawada. 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 at Guntur for the Bachelor of Arts course in 1945. From a young age he showed an interest in singing and developed a baritone singing voice as a young man.[5]
Personal life
In May 1942, at the age of 20, NTR married Basava Tarakam, the daughter of his maternal uncle. The couple had seven sons Nandamuri Rama Krishna, Nandamuri Jayakrishna, Harikrishna, Balakrishna and late Nandamuri Saikrishna, Jayashankara krishna and Mohana krishna and four daughters Daggubati Purandareswari, Lokeswari, Bhuvaneswari and Uma Maheswari.[10]
Commemorating his son Ramakrishna, who predeceased him, NTR founded the film studio Ramakrishna Studios in Nacharam. Nandamuri Harikrishna is a child actor-turned-politician elected to the Rajya Sabha, representing Telugu Desam party. Nandamuri Balakrishna is one of the lead actors of the Telugu film industry, while Jayakrishna was a noted cinematographer. NTR's grandsons N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Nandamuri Kalyan Ram and Taraka Ratna are all actors in Telugu cinema[11]
While, Bhuvaneswari is the spouse of politician Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.Daggubati Purandareswari is a politician currently serving as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Acting career
N. T. Rama Rao started his career playing a police inspector in the movie Mana Desam (1960 ). The role was offered by director L V Prasad. Next he appeared in Palletoori Pilla, directed by B. A. Subba Rao.[12] It marked the first occasion that Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao acted together for the first time.The title role was played by Anjali Devi 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.[5]
He portrayed Lord Krishna in some of the landmark films in Telugu like Maya Bazaar, Sri Krishnarjuna Yudham and Daana Veera Soora Karna. He played Lord Rama in Lava Kusa, Ravana in Bhookailas (1958 film) & Seetharama Kalyanam, Bruhannala in Narthanasala. He has also enacted the roles of Bheeshma and Arjuna. 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 through his film production house National art theater private limited in T. Nagar.[13] He was influential in designing and implementing a financial system that funded the production and distribution of movies.[14]
Political career
First term
Rao founded the Telugu Desam Party in 1983 and served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. His stated reason for founding the party was based on a historic need to rid the state of the corrupt and inept Congress rule.[15] When he started his political career he was already a very popular actor in the Telugu film industry.[16] Rama Rao was unanimously elected leader of Telugu Dasam Legislature Party on 8 January 1983 with 10 cabinet ministers and five ministers of State.[17] He became the 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and was reelected three times between 1983 and 1994.[5]
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.[18] 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.[19] 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 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 mobilize 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.[20] 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 250 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[21] and Gudivada in Krishna district, and won both the seats.[22]
On Independence Day, 15 August 1984, Rama Rao was removed from office by the then-governor Ramlal.[20] His finance minister, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, 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).[20] Governor Ramlal did not relent and Rama Rao campaigned for restoration of democracy by mobilizing the support of people and various political parties in the country including Janata Party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (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 mobilization of several political parties and the people and due to bad press, Indira Gandhi, 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.[23] 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 was assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in her place. In the ensuing national elections to the Lok Sabha, the Congress party won convincingly all over the country except in 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 operations were significantly computerized 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
N.T. Rama Rao returned to power in 1994 winning 250 seats (Telugu Desam won 226; CPI: 19; CPM: 05) 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.
A few months into his third term, Rama Rao was unceremoniously overthrown as Chief minister. On 23 August, Rama Rao's son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu engineered an internal party coup against him and assumed the post of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on 1 September 1995. He was also chosen as president of the Telugu Desam Party by party members.[24] Naidu is said to have convinced most of the members by stating that Rama Rao was going to hand over the reins to his wife Lakshmi Parvati and claimed that the party was in danger of disintegrating under her rule. Some 150 MLAs sided with Naidu and camped at the Viceroy Hotel in Hyderabad, the centre of the revolt.[25] Rama Rao's sons Nandamuri Harikrishna, Nandamuri Balakrishna and son-in-law Daggubati Venkateswara Rao played a crucial role in the coup but fell out with Naidu soon afterwards.[26] Naidu is said have promised to make Venkateswara Rao, the Deputy Chief minister and Harikrishna, the party's general secretary, but he sidelined them soon after becoming the Chief minister and Party president.[25] According to Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, Naidu is said to have gained support of party MLAs by misrepresenting facts and stating that he was saving the party.[25][27]
Daggubati Venkateswara Rao fell out with Naidu within 15 days and returned to the Rama Rao camp. He claimed that Rama Rao had such a hatred of Naidu that he had asked his film actor son Nandamuri Balakrishna to 'murder' Naidu and show him the sword stained with Naidu's blood.[27] Venkateswara Rao clarified saying "I don't think he really meant to kill him but, unable to give voice to his pain, he said that".[27] In an emotional interview after the coup, Rama Rao called the coup a "planned treachery" and ridiculed Naidu for being power-hungry and untrustworthy, likening him to Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor who jailed his father and killed his siblings to become the King of the Mughal Empire.[28]
NTR's first wife, 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).[29]
Death
NTR died of a cardiac arrest on 18 January 1996[7], just a few months after his unceremonious ouster as Chief Minister. He was 72 years old.
State Awards in the honor of N.T. Rama Rao
- NTR National Award
NTR National Award is a National level Award instituted in 1996, in the honor of N.T. Rama Rao by Andhra Pradesh Government. The NTR National Award is an annual award to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry. The Award carries a cash prize of ₹ 500,000/- and a memento.[30]
- NTR National Literary Award
This Award instituted in the honor of N.T. Rama Rao by Lakshmi parvathi, the chairperson of NTR Vignan Trust as an annual award to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions in Indian Literature. [31]
Notable filmography
Awards
- 1970 - National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu (Director) for Varakatnam[40]
- 1972 — Best Telugu Actor for Badi Panthulu
- 1968 — Padmashri award from Government of India
- 1978 — Honorary Doctorate from Andhra University
See also
References
- ^ "N.T. Rama Rao (1923 - 1995): A messiah of the masses". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 December 2002.
- ^ Democratic Process and Electoral Politics in Andhra Pradesh, India (1997)
- ^ McGirk, Tim (19 January 1996). "Obituary: N. T. Rama Rao". London: The Independent. Retrieved 1996-01-19.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Burns, John F. (19 January 1996). "N. T. Rama Rao, 72, Is Dead; Star Status Infused His Politics". The New York Times. Retrieved 1996-01-19.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b c d McGirk, Tim (19 January 1996). "Obituary: N. T. Rama Rao". London: The Independent. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ http://www.newsofap.com/art-339-nt-rama-rao-biography-profile.html
- ^ a b http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-30/india/29602852_1_ntr-family-mahanadu-platform-n-harikrishna
- ^ a b http://chowdarystars.blogspot.in/p/sr-ntr-awards.html
- ^ "Cities / Vijayawada : Active lifestyle keeps diabetes at bay, says health varsity V-C" (Press release). The Hindu. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ^ "Cities / Vijayawada : Rich tributes paid to N.T. Rama Rao". The Hindu. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ "Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : Nandamuri family fully supports Naidu, says Harikrishna". The Hindu. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ "History of Telugu Cinema". Indian cinemas. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). Iffi.nic.in. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ N.T. Rama Rao, All Movie Guide
- ^ "Telugu Desam Party turns 29, NT Rama Rao remembered". DNA India. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Shankar, Kalyani (2005). Gods of power: personality cult & Indian democracy. Macmillan India. p. 122. ISBN 1403925100, 97.
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value: invalid character (help) - ^ S. Nagendra Ambedkar (1992). Political elite. Printwell, with special arrangement from Rupa Books. ISBN 8170443415.
- ^ "The original ratham". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ ""Pavan Kalyan does a star turn". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
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(help) - ^ a b c Murty (2001), p.48
- ^ "Leaders pay glowing tributes to party founder N.T.Rama Rao". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ The new voter: a study of the voting behaviour of the youth in Andhra Pradesh. Booklinks Corp. 1994. p. 26. ISBN 8185194262.
- ^ Murty (2001), p.49
- ^ "N. Chandrababu Naidu". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b c Rao-legacy-bickering-goes-on.htm "Rama Rao legacy: The bickering hots up". Rediff.com. 20 March 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
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value (help) - ^ Economic and Political Weekly. Sameeksha Trust. 1997. p. 283. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "Revealed: Rama Rao's intense hatred for Chandrababu Naidu". Rediff.com. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ NTR Interview. TV9. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ "Cities / Visakhapatnam : 'NTR an unparalleled leader'". The Hindu. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ "Ilayaraja, Ambarish, Krishna get NTR award". Hyderabad: The Hindu, Business Line. 30 August 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
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(help) - ^ "NTR literary Award for Ashoka Mitran". Hyderabad: The Hindu, Business Line. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
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(help) - ^ http://www.idlebrain.com/celeb/starow/sow-ntr.html
- ^ "2nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ "4th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved September 02, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "5th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved September 02, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "8th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Retrieved September 07, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "10th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Retrieved September 09, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b "11th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ "13th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ "National Film Awards - 1969". Hindilyrics.net. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- Use dmy dates from March 2012
- 1923 births
- 1996 deaths
- Indian actors
- Andhra University alumni
- Telugu film directors
- Recipients of the Padma Shri
- Telugu people
- Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh
- Telugu politicians
- V. P. Singh administration
- People from Krishna
- Telugu actors
- Filmfare Awards winners
- National Film Award winners