Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), popularly known as NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker, and politician who served three terms as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He was one of the most influential figures in Telugu cinema and the founder of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which he established in 1982. His political career marked a significant shift in Andhra Pradesh politics by ending the long-standing dominance of the Indian National Congress in the state.
| Full Name | Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 May 1923, Nimmakuru, Krishna district, Madras Presidency (present-day Andhra Pradesh) |
| Died | 18 January 1996, Hyderabad |
| Profession | Actor, filmmaker, politician |
| Political Party | Telugu Desam Party (founder) |
| Office | Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (three terms) |
| Tenures as CM | 1983–1984; 1984–1989; 1994–1995 |
| Spouses | Basavatarakam; Lakshmi Parvathi |
| Notable Honour | Padma Shri (1968) |
N. T. Rama Rao was born on 28 May 1923 in Nimmakuru village, in the Krishna district of the Madras Presidency, into a Telugu Kamma family. He was raised by his paternal uncle. He completed his schooling in Vijayawada and later graduated from Andhra Christian College, Guntur. Before entering films, he briefly worked as a sub-registrar in the Madras Service Commission.
NTR began his cinematic career in the late 1940s and made his debut with Mana Desam (1949). He rose to prominence with Pathala Bhairavi (1951), produced by Vijaya Vauhini Studios. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he acted in over 300 films in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi.
He became particularly renowned for portraying mythological and historical characters, including Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Ravana, Bhishma, Karna, Duryodhana, and Arjuna. Films such as Mayabazar (1957), Missamma (1955), Sri Krishnarjuna Yuddham, Daana Veera Soora Karna (1977), and Adavi Ramudu (1977) became landmarks in Telugu cinema.
NTR also produced and directed several films under his banner National Art Theatres (NAT), founded in 1953. As a director, his works include Seetha Rama Kalyanam (1961), Sri Krishna Pandaviyam, and Daana Veera Soora Karna.
On 29 March 1982, NTR founded the Telugu Desam Party with the slogan of Telugu atma gauravam (Telugu self-respect), responding to perceived high-handedness of the Congress high command in the affairs of Andhra Pradesh. The party rapidly gained popular support across the state.
In the January 1983 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, the TDP won a decisive majority, and NTR was sworn in as Chief Minister on 9 January 1983. His government introduced the two-rupee rice scheme as a flagship welfare measure, alongside reforms in the public distribution system.
In August 1984, while NTR was abroad for medical treatment, his finance minister N. Bhaskara Rao defected and was sworn in as Chief Minister by Governor Ram Lal. The episode triggered widespread protests; NTR demonstrated majority support and was reinstated as Chief Minister in September 1984. The crisis became a milestone in Indian federal politics regarding the misuse of gubernatorial power.
NTR led the TDP to victory in the 1985 assembly elections. During this period, he pursued administrative reforms, including reorganisation of village administration through the abolition of hereditary village offices (the karnam and munsiff system) and the introduction of mandals as administrative units replacing taluks. He also played a leading role in forming the National Front coalition of regional and non-Congress parties in 1988, briefly serving as its convenor.
The TDP returned to power with a sweeping majority in the 1994 elections, and NTR became Chief Minister for the third time. However, in August 1995, he was deposed in an internal party rebellion led by his son-in-law N. Chandrababu Naidu, who took over as Chief Minister and as TDP leader.
NTR married Basavatarakam in 1942; the couple had eleven children. After her death in 1985, he married Telugu writer Lakshmi Parvathi in 1993. His family has remained prominent in Telugu cinema and politics, including his sons Nandamuri Harikrishna and Nandamuri Balakrishna, his grandson N. T. Rama Rao Jr., and his son-in-law N. Chandrababu Naidu.
N. T. Rama Rao died of a heart attack on 18 January 1996 in Hyderabad. He was cremated with state honours, and the cremation site on the banks of the Hussain Sagar lake was developed into the NTR Ghat memorial.
NTR is widely regarded as the architect of regional political assertion in Andhra Pradesh and a transformative figure in Telugu cultural identity. His combination of mass cinematic appeal and political mobilisation became a template later emulated by other actor-politicians in South India.