ntr biography in english

First ever biography of NTR in English

A charming and informative 668-pages hard bound book together with many rare and unseen photos on the life and times of N. T. Rama Rao, an extra ordinary actor, the most admired chief minister of andhra pradesh and the architect of federal polities in India.

Book Launched by

• About Authors

NTR Gallery

Ntr a biography book launch event by cls publishers llp.

A glimpse…

About  authors, k. chandrahas, dr. k. lakshminarayana, know more about ntr.

NTR strove not to get trapped in an image. Bhukailas released in 1958 opened a new window to test his range as an actor. The success of the movie excited him and he wanted to explore more of that genre. His own production house had made movies with social, folklore, and devotional themes until now.

Book launch Event Gallery

Sri ashok gajapathi raju, contact us , click here to buy now amazon ,  flipkart, cls publishers llp.

Your Name (required) Your Email (required) Your Mobile (required) Your Message

Are you a human? Please solve 1+1=?

• entertainment

Documenting the monumental journey of NTR

Visual Stories

• Firstpost Defence Summit
• Entertainment
• Web Stories
• Health Supplement
• First Sports
• Fast and Factual
• Between The Lines
• Firstpost America

NTR, A Biography: This account of Telugu matinee idol-turned-politician's life is a must-read

Pitched as the first-ever biography of NTR in English, K Chandrahas and K Lakshminarayana’s NTR, A Biographyruns over a mammoth 600 pages and barely leaves anything about the iconic star behind.

Reading the biography of NTR, the moniker by which Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, the legendary Telugu matinee idol turned politician was better known, amid a general election makes it a far more interesting exercise. Pitched as the first-ever biography of NTR in English, K Chandrahas and K Lakshminarayana’s NTR, A Biography (CLS Publishers) runs over a mammoth 600 pages and barely leaves anything about the iconic star behind. It begins with NTR’s family history (the actor was adopted within his own family where he was brought up by two women in a fashion similar to the character he portrayed 17 times onscreen, Lord Krishna), follows the career that saw him become one of India’s biggest film stars ever and dedicates a significant portion to the public figure who served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms.

NTR was not the first film actor to become a chief minister in India. By the time he decided to foray into public life, MG Ramachandran, the Tamil superstar, had been the CM of Tamil Nadu for almost five years but it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that it was NTR who left a more significant impact in terms of a political career. NTR considered MGR a close friend — they even shared the same make-up man, Pithambaram — and he sought advice from MGR as well when he was toying with the idea of launching a political party. A large part of NTR’s political life, much like his existence and his public persona, had to do with the concept of identity. It was quite early on in his acting career that NTR laid the foundation of what would late become the springboard for politics. NTR tried to develop his distinctive style both in front as well as behind the camera where he tirelessly advocated Andhra Pradesh’s distinct cultural identity and continually distinguished it from the erstwhile Madras State with which it was often associated. A major factor in the shaping of brand ‘NTR’ were the roles that he essayed. He played nearly every important god including Krishna and Ram, and in fact, even Karna as the hero in Daana Veera Soora Karna (1977) at a time when such interpretation was not conventional. In fact, he played all three roles in that film: Karna, Duryodhana, and Krishna. With NTR, the fine line separating reality and myth blurred. Legend has it that during the shooting of Mayabazar (1957), which was the first hit to feature NTR as Krishna, when he appeared on the set as Lord Krishna the entire studio come to a standstill. Crew members rushed to touch his feet; some even offered the aarti and NTR blessed them.

Considering that half of India’s present populace was just two when NTR died in 1996, it wouldn’t be surprising that many might have little or no idea of who he was. Moreover, NTR belonged to an era sans an all-pervasive social media and the world was too big to exist within a mobile phone and unfortunate as it is, the current crop of non-Telugu film aficionados, also, wouldn’t know much about him when compared with a Kamal Haasan, Nagarjuna, Mahesh Babu or Prabhas.

In that aspect, NTR, A Biography not only fills the blanks but also offers a fantastic insight into the intrinsic relationship between films and politics that prevails south of Vindhyas. The book is peppered with insightful nuggets that reveal the person behind the larger than life image of NTR — he always referred to himself in the royal plural, he hated newspapers to the extent of making it a virtue not to read them, and he rarely lost his shirt in public; and also the adulation that his fans had for him — an anonymous transporter referred to as Chowdary offered 40 trucks to ferry around fans for NTR’s first public rally for no cost and didn’t even hang around to meet his idol.

Written by a former IRS officer (Chandrahas) and an ex-IAS officer (Lakshminarayana), who also served under NTR when he was the CM between 1984-89, the book benefits immensely from the access they might have enjoyed. This might be the reason why there is a protracted focus on NTR, the politician, as opposed to NTR, the superstar. For history buffs, the book describes in great detail how the Congress party, first under Indira Gandhi and later Rajiv Gandhi, treated the local heavyweights, often insulting them in full public view, and how this apathy towards the Telugu people pushed NTR to stand up for his people.

No one gave NTR and his political outfit, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an outside chance to make a dent in state politics. Even NTR did not push his son in law, N Chandrababu Naidu, who was a rising star in state Congress party along with the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy or YSR, to join his party as he was not sure of the future. What NTR did was nothing short of epoch-making — he traversed nearly 75,000 km across the state in a refurbished 1940 Chevrolet convertible that he called ‘ Chaitanya Ratham ’ (chariot of awakening) and mobilised the entire state of undivided Andhra Pradesh. The TDP won 202 out of the 294 state assembly seats, and NTR went on to become the first non-Congress CM of Andhra Pradesh. As a side note, NTR’s victory was the first election that future psephologist Pranoy Roy got wrong. NTR achieved a lot in terms of governance but the social changes that he ushered had more considerable significance, and the one that stood out was the successful modification of the Hindu-Succession-Act that gave equal default property inheritance rights for women. Later, NTR also became the propelling force for the United Front that formed the government at the Centre under VP Singh in 1989. NTR died in January 1996, barely four months after his son in law, Chandrababu Naidu, led a coup to oust him from the post of CM.

NTR, A Biography is a weighty tome. When it comes to reading long books, the reader, like EM Forster noted, usually overpraises to convince others and oneself that they have not wasted their time. The book is not bereft of problems and some of them could be off-putting. For starters, the writing could have been edited as well as structured better. Some of the chapters are just half a page and needlessly break the flow, but the thing that could nag the reader the most is the occurrence of grammatical errors. Irrespective of it all, the book is a must-read.

Find us on YouTube

Related Stories

An Alliance, a Legacy & Elections: The politics behind Bharat Ratnas

Is Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP looking to tie-up with the BJP again? How will this impact 2024 Lok Sabha elections?

The temples PM Modi is visiting before Ayodhya and their links to Lord Ram

PM Modi feeds Punganur cows on Makar Sankranti: Why this breed is special

• Ground Reports
• 50-Word Edit
• National Interest
• Campus Voice
• Security Code
• Off The Cuff
• Democracy Wall
• Around Town
• PastForward
• In Pictures
• Last Laughs
• ThePrint Essential

New Delhi: Twenty eight May, 2023 marked the birth centenary of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, fondly called NTR. A political stalwart, who laid the founding of Andhra Pradesh’s Telugu Desam Party TDP), Rao was also one of the most revered actors in the Telugu film industry.

In “NTR: A Political Biography”, author Ramachandra Murthy Kondubhatla attempts to trace Rao’s journey from a small village in Andhra to stardom and subsequently a thriving political career.

NTR was born in a small village near the city of Machilipatnam. After completing his bachelor’s degree from Andhra Christian College, he qualified for the civil services in the then Madras Presidency under British India.

The hero-to-be left the job to pursue a career in acting, and soon landed a walk-in role as a policeman in the 1949 movie “Mana Desam”. NTR starred in over 300 films and directed a dozen of them in a three-decade acting career.

His tryst with politics began in 1982. NTR founded the Telugu Desam Party with the objective of protecting India’s Telugu speaking people. TDP emerged victorious in the 1983 assembly elections, and formed the first non-Congress government in united Andhra Pradesh. NTR presided over as the chief minister.

Author Kondubhatla has said of the star-politician: “The celluloid demi-god rekindled the self-respect spirit of Telugus and earned them their individual identity when all South Indians were deemed Madrasis.”

Published by HarperCollins India, “NTR: A Political Biography” will be released on 13 June on Softcover, ThePrint’s online venue to launch non-fiction books.

Swati Chopra, Associate Publisher HarperCollins India, said: “An honest evaluation of NT Rama Rao, who left his larger-than-life imprint not only on Andhra politics but on the national stage, was long overdue. This book, which publishes in time for NTR’s 100th birthday on 28 May this year, is a comprehensive analysis of his politics and his times, richly populated with the characters who shaped his life and the political stage of that era. There could not be a more fitting tribute to the man and the legend than NTR: A Political Biography.”

Kondubhatla is a journalist who has served as a public policy advisor for the Andhra Pradesh government. He held prominent positions such as editorial director of Sakshi Media Group and Managing Director and CEO of Hyderabad Media House Ltd. Under his leadership, Hyderabad Media House operated HMTV, a Telugu news TV channel, and The Hans India, an English newspaper.

Also read: New book explores how Ambedkar was guided by ‘pragmatism’ of American philosopher John Dewey

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube , Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here .

• andhra pradesh

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

NTR A Biography (First ever biography of NTR in English) Hardcover – 1 January 2019

Save extra with 2 offers, 10 days replacement, replacement instructions.

Purchase options and add-ons

• ISBN-10 8194003105
• ISBN-13 978-8194003106
• Publisher MISCELLANEOUS
• Publication date 1 January 2019
• Language English
• See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ MISCELLANEOUS (1 January 2019)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8194003105
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8194003106
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 840 g
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ India
• #11,776 in Biographies & Autobiographies (Books)

Customer reviews

Reviews with images.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from India

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Press Releases
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell under Amazon Accelerator
• Protect and Build Your Brand
• Amazon Global Selling
• Become an Affiliate
• Fulfilment by Amazon
• Advertise Your Products
• Amazon Pay on Merchants
• COVID-19 and Amazon
• Your Account
• Returns Centre
• 100% Purchase Protection
• Amazon App Download
• Conditions of Use & Sale
• Privacy Notice
• Interest-Based Ads

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

Some Lesser Known Facts About N. T. Rama Rao

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 met Subhash Chandra Bose in Vijayawada and presented him his portrayal.
• 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).

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.

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.

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).

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

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