Junior NTR is well known as NTR is an Notable Tollywood actor, he is the grandson of Legendary Actor, Former Chief Minister and TDP former Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao. He was born on May 20th, 1983 to N.Harikrishna and Shalini in Hyderabad. Shalini is the second wife of Hari Krishna. He has two older half-brothers and an older half-sister from his father's earlier marriage, actor/producer Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, Nandamuri Janaki Ram and Nandamuri Suhasini respectively. Jr. NTR was brought up by his mother away from the Nandamuri family, as his father abandoned her after Jr. NTR's birth. On many occasions, Jr. NTR has paid glowing tributes to his mother, praising her for single-handedly bringing him up to what he is today despite being ostracised by his father's family members and always reminding him of his duties as he is the grandson of the legendary NTR.
It was none other than the legendary NTR who would later accept Jr. NTR and his mother into the Nandamuri family after he found out about them. He renamed Jr. NTR after himself and was the first
member of the Nandamuri family to have a good relationship with him. Eventually, Jr. NTR was accepted by his father and the other members of the Nandamuri family as well. Jr. NTR resembles his grandfather in many aspects, which are evident in his looks, personality and acting. Jr. NTR did his schooling from Vidyaranya High School, Hyderabad, following which he completed his Intermediate from St. Mary's College, Hyderabad. At an early age, Jr. NTR learned the Indian classical dance Kuchipudi. He gave many performances in India and also around the world at a young age.
He is fondly called as Tarak by his family, friends and close associates. Later, he changed his name to Taraka Rama Rao in honor of his grandfather. Many cine and political analysts believe that he is the next big star from the Nandamuri family. NTR would consequently cast him as Bharatha in his 1991 film Bhramasri Viswamitra. In an interview, Jr. NTR told that the experience of knowing and working with his grandfather was the main reason why he became an actor. Within few days of entry the success has gone to his head. At the age of 20, he became a sensation of his generation and gave his seniors a run for their glory. When asked, what message would he like to give to fans, he responded by saying "I'm too young to give any message to all those who have so much respect and love for the Nandamuri family and me. I simply bow my head to them."
He married to Narne Lakshmi Pranathi in 2011, the daughter of Narne Srinivasa Rao, the owner of the Telugu news channel Studio N and a relative of Jr. NTR's uncle, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Nara Chandrababu Naidu. It was an arranged marriage. His all-round acting abilities and wonderful performance in 2007 blockbuster “Yamadonga” made Late Legendary Actor Shoban Babu remark NTR as one of his favourite actors in this generation, and reckoned that NTR has done everything in such a short span of time to impress everyone.
Film Career
Junior NTR started his career as a junior artist with roles in “Brahmarshi Viswamithra” in the year 1993 and then “Bala Ramayanam”, directed by Gunasekhar in 1996 and rose to become one of the best film actors in the Telugu film industry. NTR first movie as a hero was "Ninnu choodalani" released in the year 2000. It was produced by RamojiRao under Ushakiron movies banner. Written off by critics in his first film, he made a striking comeback with the film “Student No.1” which was released after 4 months. The movie went on to become an instant hit with both classes and masses.
However it was “Aadi” that catapulted him in to the big league. Suddenly the critics took notice of this wiry young man and opined that there are sparks of his grandfather in him. “Aadi” had stood as blockbuster of the year 2002. “Aadi” not only had created records, but also put him in the top league of actors. His next big blockbuster “Simhadri” stabilized his status as the next mass hero of Tollywood. Starting from 2004 his career took a downward turn. His first release of 2004, “Andhrawala” flopped miserably at the box office despite the pre-release hype.
The next movie “Samba” was an average grosser and the only respite during that period. In 2005 his two releases, “Naa Alludu” and “Narasimhudu” flopped at the box office. “Narasimhudu” in particular was such a commercial disaster that it led to a suicide attempt from the producer. In 2006 his movie “Ashok” had good openings. The movie was in particular appreciated for its technical values and the gripping screenplay from director Surendar Reddy. His next movie “Rakhi” which proved a success at the box office, has gained NTR admirable reviews from fans and critics alike. His next movie “Yamadonga” which was inspired by his grandfather's blockbuster “Yamagola” released in 2007. The movie brought him back into the super-hit stream, and became the sensational movie of the year in Tollywood.
His next release “Kantri” which exposed his superb skill of dancing has also done well at the box-office. This is for the first time, that NTR has given two hit movies in a row. His next film was “Kantri” released in May 2008 exposed his superb skill of dancing but did average at box office. In year 2010 he appeared in two movies and both of them “Adhurs” in which he played a dual role and “Brindavanam” succeeded well at box-office with 31cr worldwide share. Then “Shakthi” released in 2011 failed to perform well at the box office. NTR’s next film “Oosaravelli” directed by Surender Reddy, which was released in 2011 and though it received mixed reviews, it generated good revenue at the box office. Another movie titled “Dammu” under the direction of Boyapati Seenu was released in 2012 which received mixed reviews but the movie managed to collect good revenue at box office.
His recent release “Baadshah” under Srinu Vaitla direction became the biggest Blockbuster of 2013 and collected 56+ Cr Worldwide till 4 weeks and stood at 3rd Position in All time top 3 TFI films. NTR is currently doing a film “Ramayya Vasthavayya” with Harish Shanker and expected to release on Aug 9, 2013. In his film career, Jr. NTR has worked in twenty three films till date, two as a child artist and twenty one as a lead actor
Endorsements
Junior NTR appears in commercials of Navratna Hair Oil, Zandu Balm in Andhra Pradesh, Malabar God & Diamonds (2012) amongst others
Political Career
Jr. NTR is also involved in politics and is currently an inactive member of his grandfather's political party, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He was one of the campaigners for the Telugu Desam Party, for the Indian general election, 2009 from April to May 2009. On March 26, 2009, after electioneering, en route to Hyderabad, the SUV in which he was a passenger was struck head-on with another vehicle, at Khammam. He and his companions were thrown from the SUV and suffered brutal injuries, NTR was treated at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, in Secunderabad to recuperate
Awards and Honours
He has won two Andhra Pradesh state Nandi Awards, one Filmfare Best Telugu Actor Award and three CineMAA Awards. He was listed 66 in Forbes India top 100 Celebrities for the year 2012. Here is the list of Awards
2007 - Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actor for Yamadonga
2007 - CineMAA Award for Best Actor for Yamadonga
2003 - Santosham Best Young Performer Award for Simhadri
2002 - Nandi Award for Special Jury for Aadi
