Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr. (born 20 May 1983), also known as Jr NTR , is an Indian film actor, kuchipudi dancer, playback singer and television personality known for his works in Telugu cinema. He is the grandson of Telugu actor and former Chief Minister (CM) of Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao, who was commonly referred to as N.T.R. In 1996, he starred as a child artist in Ramayanam, which won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film for that year. His debut as an adult was in 2001, with the film Ninnu Choodalani.
Jr. NTR has worked in 27 films and has won two state nandi awards, one IIFA award,one SIIMA award, two Filmfare Best Telugu Actor Award and four CineMAA Awards. He is also the brand ambassador for several brands. He was ranked 66th in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list in 2012, with an annual income of INR190 million and 55th in 2016 with an annual income of INR360 million.
Video N. T. Rama Rao Jr.
Early life
Rama Rao Jr. was born on 20 May 1983 in Hyderabad to Telugu film actor and politician Nandamuri Harikrishna and Shalini Bhaskar Rao. He is the grandson of Telugu actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao. He did his schooling at Vidyaranya High School, Hyderabad, and completed his Intermediate education at Vignan junior college.
He is the half-brother of actor and producer Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, the nephew of actor and politician Nandamuri Balakrishna and current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, the cousin of actor Taraka Ratna and also politician Nara Lokesh.
He married Narne Lakshmi Pranathi on 5 May 2011 at Hitex Exhibition Center, Madhapur. They have one son, Abhay Ram.
Maps N. T. Rama Rao Jr.
Career
Debut and struggle (2001-06)
After the success of his debut film Bala Ramayanam, director Gunasekhar recommended Jr. NTR to director S. S. Rajamouli to act in his debut Student No. 1, during mid-2000. However, the film went under production quite long. He was later signed by producer Ramoji Rao, and worked on the romantic drama Ninnu Choodalani making his debut as a full-time hero. By that time, he was only 17 years old. The film created a lot of hype as the grandson of the late NTR was going to debut. Jr. NTR was criticised of being a hero, along with his female co-star. He then started working on his delayed project produced by veteran C. Ashwini Dutt. The film Student No. 1, directed by SS Rajamouli, became a success at the box office.
He then signed up for another debutant director's film, V.V. Vinayak's Aadi. For the first time, he played a youth-cum-action hero, trying to take revenge on a landlord for the death of his parents. The film ran for more than 200 days, gave him a fan following and he rose from obscurity to stardom. He then signed up for veteran director B. Gopal's Allari Ramudu which was a hit and then A. M. Rathnam's political thriller Naaga. He once again collaborated with SS Rajamouli, for the action masala film Simhadri, an industry hit. He grew a beard for a new look, giving him the title of "Young Tiger". He later quit youth films and started experimenting with action dramas.
Jr. NTR later signed up for the action drama Puri Jagannadh's Andhrawala, playing the leader of the village. The film was an expensive film made with a budget of INR100 million. He then signed up another faction film, Samba, with his old director V. V. Vinayak. For the first time in his career, he experimented by acting in a family drama film, Naa Alludu. He played a dual role of Karthik, a responsible man who has an aim to work in a good business company and Murugan, a Tamil- speaking villager who works in the business of coconut water. He then collaborated with director B. Gopal for the film Narasimhudu, who was riding high on the success of Indra. Bollywood actresses Ameesha Patel and Sameera Reddy were selected, with the latter making her Telugu debut. He lost his position among the top heroes of Tollywood. Jr. NTR took a one-year hiatus, and then later signed up for Surender Reddy's Ashok. The film saw him pairing with Sameera Reddy for the second time. The film was financially unsuccessful for the producers, thus continuing his string of unsuccessful films.
Breakthrough and success (2006-10)
Jr. NTR later signed up for Krishna Vamsi's experimental Rakhi. The film was a social drama-cum brother-sister sentiment. For this film, he had to speak a lot of dialogues. Veteran actress Suhasini Maniratnam acted as a police officer from Tamil Nadu in this film. The film is considered to be one of Jr. NTR's finest performances in his career.
Jr. NTR collaborated with director S.S. Rajamouli for the third and final time for a socio-fantasy film Yamadonga. For this film, he had to sport a new look by shedding more than 20 kg. as he used to be 94 kg. Veteran actors and actresses Mohan Babu and Kushboo signed up to act in this film. Jr. NTR played Raja, a thief who later criticizes and insults Yama and then suddenly goes into hell due to some bad acts. The film received extremely positive reviews, and later brought him back to the top league in Tollywood, and this film had him receive a Filmfare award for best actor in Telugu. Late actor Sobhan Babu praised Jr. NTR's performance too.
Jr. NTR later signed up for the action film Kantri, which was directed by debutant Meher Ramesh, a protege of Puri Jagannadh. The film, though receiving mixed reviews, earned some attention, as Jr. NTR's dances helped it.In 2009, Jr. NTR took a year hiatus to campaign for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the 2009 general elections.
Jr. NTR signed up for the action-comedy Adhurs, in which he played dual roles for the third time after Andhrawala and Naa Alludu, after a one-year-hiatus. Adhurs grossed more than INR400 million. Adhurs released in early 2010 and managed to gross more than INR500 million. He then returned to romantic films after a 9-year gap. His second release, the romantic comedy Brindavanam was directed by Vamsi Paidipally and produced by ace producer Dil Raju, who is known for romantic films. He was paired opposite beauties Kajal Aggarwal and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The film received positive reviews, became a commercial success and emerged to be one of the highest grossers of 2010, beating his uncle's Simha. His position in Tollywood went sky-high due to the consecutive successes. After the big successes of Adurs and Brindavanam,tarak emerged as highest paid actor in south india after Rajinikanth.
Further success (2011-present)
Jr. NTR collaborated with Kantri director Meher Ramesh for the historical fantasy action film Shakti. The film was very expensive and was produced on a budget of INR420 million. He was paired with Ileana D'Cruz for the second time after the critically acclaimed Rakhi. He then collaborated with Ashok-director Surender Reddy, for the romantic action film Oosaravelli, in which he was paired opposite Tamannaah. Though the film received mixed reviews stating that the film was only for hardcore NTR fans, He was placed 66th in the Forbes list of India's top celebrities.
Jr. NTR signed for Boyapati Srinu's fourth venture Dammu, opposite Trisha Krishnan and Karthika Nair, which went on to become an average fare.
Jr. NTR signed for Sreenu Vaitla's movie Baadshah, in which he sported a new look by straightening his curly hair and growing a beard, in order to suit the "don" image. The film won positive reviews and became a commercial success, plus a comeback for Jr. NTR, after 3 failures. The film became a sleeper hit. Baadshah's final figures were over INR480 million in 50 days. the Times of India described his performance as a cakewalk, and described his comic timing as a commendable show. His dances and emotions were described as impressive.
Jr. NTR's next release of 2013 was the revenge drama Ramayya Vasthavayya, directed by Harish Shankar. The film had him pairing opposite Shruti Hassan for the first time and Samantha Ruth Prabhu for the second time. The Times of India described his performance by stating: "The film is packaged entirely around its hero with NTR looking uber cool and as stylish as ever. He got into the skin of the character and has delivered a fantastic performance to shoulder the film. All in all, Ramayya Vasthavayya's first half is a fun-ride as you see NTR in his elements."
Baadshah was premiered at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2014 held in Japan.
In 2015, he starred in Temper, with Kajal Aggarwal as the female lead, directed by ace director Puri Jagannadh. It turned out to be a much needed hit for Jr. NTR after a series of debacles and his performance as the corrupted cop Daya, who turns into a doer of good was appreciated by audience and critics alike. GreatAndhra.com described the movie as an out and out emotional movie with a strong message by stating: "While the first half mostly shows how a corrupt Daya is forced to stop and change, it is the second half that really gets the story going. Probably, it is this half that NTR fans will love the most as it has good doses of emotions which are his strong point."
Following the success of Temper, Jr. NTR started working on his next venture Nannaku Prematho, directed by Sukumar, under the production of Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra and Reliance Entertainment. Rakul Preet Singh played the female lead while Jagapathi Babu and Rajendra Prasad played supporting roles. He has won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu for his Performance at the 2016. NTR sported a new look with gelled up hair and long beard for this movie. The movie was released on 13 January 2016 and received mostly positive reviews from critics and audience. The Times of India gave a positive review stating: Nannaku Prematho is like a delectable serving of dessert with a hint of tang. The flavour may seem out of place initially because you aren't used to it. But if you try it with an open mind, you'd probably savour it." The movie eventually turned out to be the highest grosser in Jr. NTR's career, surpassing Baadshah, with a worldwide gross of INR82.7 crore (US$13 million). His performance in the movie earned NTR his second Filmfare Award after Yamadonga.
Later in the same year, Jr. NTR starred in the September release Janatha Garage, directed by Koratala Siva, where he was cast alongside the Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. The film also starred Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen in female lead roles. Marathi actor Sachin Khedekar and Unni Mukundan played antagonists in this emotional drama produced by Mythri Movie Makers. It was released on 1 September 2016 along with a Malayalam and received generally favorable reviews. The film registered the highest opening for a Telugu film in 2016, and was the second highest Telugu opening of all time, behind Baahubali: The Beginning. Indian Express gave a negative review stating that "Despite a good message, this Mohanlal and Jr NTR film is a predictable, run-of-the-mill drama that fails to offer anything new." The movie went on to become a huge commercial blockbuster for Jr. NTR after many years and re-established his position as a money spinner at the box office. It collected a lifetime gross of around INR135 crore (US$21 million) in all versions and became the 3rd highest grosser of Tollywood behind Baahubali: The Beginning and Srimanthudu.
In the following year of 2017, Jr. NTR signed for his next movie under the direction of K. S. Ravindra under the N.T.R. Arts banner, with his brother Nandamuri Kalyan Ram as the producer. Raashi Khanna and Nivetha Thomas were confirmed to play lead roles in this movie, while Hollywood prosthetics and Legacy Effects expert Vance Hartwell was roped in to design a new look for Jr. NTR in this movie. The movie, titled Jai Lava Kusa, began shooting in February 2017. The movie was released on 21 September 2017.
Television career
Jr. NTR hosts the Telugu version of the Bigg Boss reality show that is broadcast on Star Maa channel. Jr NTR's entry to the small screen was a huge success and had record breaking ratings for star Maa, making it the number one channel. The first season of the show began airing on Star MAA from 16 July 2017.
Brand endorsements
He is the brand ambassador for Malabar Gold, Himani Navratna Hair Oil & talc powder, Boro Plus Powder and Zandu Balm in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He is also the brand ambassador of IPL 2018.
Personal life
Political stint and accident
Jr. NTR was one of the campaigners for the Telugu Desam Party]] for the Indian general election, 2009 from April to May 2009. On 26 March 2009, after electioneering, en route to Hyderabad, the SUV in which he was a passenger was struck head-on with another vehicle at Suryapet. He and his companions were thrown out of the SUV and suffered injuries. He was treated at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences in Secunderabad, where he recuperated well.
Philanthropy
In 2009, Jr. NTR announced that he intended to donate 20 lakhs to Chief Minister's Relief Fund to take up relief operations for flood victims. During Baadshah audio function in 2013, a fan died due to a heavy stampede, NTR along with producer Bandla Ganesh donated 5 lakhs to his family. Jr. NTR also promised to take care of his family, due to the fan's sudden demise.
In 2014, Jr. NTR announced that he will donate 20 lakhs to CM's Relief Fund to take up relief operations for victims of Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Jr. NTR on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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