Nandamuri Balakrishna

Early life and family

Main article: Nandamuri–Nara family

Nandamuri Balakrishna was born on 10 June 1960 in a Telugu family to Indian matinee idol and three-time chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao and his wife Basavatarakam, in Madras (present-day Chennai, Tamil Nadu). As the Telugu film industry was based in Madras at that time, he spent his entire childhood in Madras. During his adolescence, he moved to Hyderabad following the shift of the Telugu film industry to that city. He earned a bachelor's degree in commerce from Nizam College, Hyderabad.

In 1982, at the age of 22, Balakrishna married Vasundhara Devi. They have three children.

Film career

Main article: Nandamuri Balakrishna filmography

1974-1986: Early years and family dramas

Balakrishna made his acting debut as a child artiste in Tatamma Kala, which was directed by N. T. Rama Rao, his father. He acted in several films, many of which were directed by his father, including Daana Veera Soora Karna (1977), Sri Madvirata Parvam (1979), Akbar Salim Anarkali (1979) and Sri Tirupati Venkateswara Kalyanam (1979). At the age of 16, he acted in a movie titled Annadammula Anubandham (1975), a remake of Dharmendra's Hindi movie Yaadon Ki Baaraat, and played a brother to his real life father, Rama Rao. Balakrishna appeared as son to his real life brother Nandamuri Harikrishna in the movie Dana Veera Sura Karna.

In 1984, he debuted in an adult role with Sahasame Jeevitham. He then starred in the drama film Mangammagari Manavadu the same year, alongside Bhanumathi and Suhasini, directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. In the same year, he acted in Kathanayakudu and in the biographical film Shrimad Virat Veerabrahmendra Swami Charitra. He also appeared in Janani Janmabhoomi in 1984, directed by K. Viswanath. In 1985, he acted with Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the film Bharyabhartala Bandham, alongside Rajani. In 1986, he acted in movies such as Muddula Krishnaiah, Seetharama Kalyanam, Anasuyamma Gari Alludu and Deshoddharakudu, which gradually increased his potential at the box office.

1987–1999: Mass films and rise to prominence

In 1987, Balakrishna acted in a dual role in the film Apoorva Sahodarulu, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. In the same year, he starred in President Gari Abbai, directed by T. Rama Rao and Muvva Gopaludu, by Kodi Ramakrishna. His other films like Inspector Pratap, Bharatamlo Bala Chandrudu, Tiragabadda Telugubidda, Raktabhishekam were also successful at the box office. In 1989, he paired with Vijayashanti in Muddula Mavayya directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. In 1990, he acted in Nari Nari Naduma Murari, directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy, alongside Shobana and Nirosha. In the same year, he appeared in B. Gopal's Lorry Driver, opposite Vijayashanti.

In 1991, he acted in science fiction film Aditya 369, directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. This was the only science fiction film in Telugu cinema during that period of time. He then had two releases in 1992, Dharma Kshetram with Divya Bharathi and Rowdy Inspector, directed by B. Gopal. In 1993, he had two releases on the same day, which are Nippu Ravva, alongside Shobana and Vijayashanti, directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy; Bangaru Bullodu, alongside Raveena Tandon and Ramya Krishna, directed by Ravi Raja Pinisetty. His next appearance was a role in Bhairava Dweepam in 1994, directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. In Brahmarshi Viswamitra, directed by NTR, he played as Satya Harischandra and Dushyanta. Between 1994 and 1999, he acted in movies such as Bobbili Simham, Vamsanikokkadu, Peddannayya and moderate successes such as Top Hero, Muddula Mogudu, Maato Pettukoku, Raana and Pavitra Prema. In the year 1999, he acted in B. Gopal's action film Samarasimha Reddy, opposite Simran and Anjala Zhaveri.

2000–2009: Career fluctuations

In 2000, Balakrishna acted in Goppinti Alludu, directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana with Simran. In 2001, he starred in the B. Gopal-directed faction film Narasimha Naidu, opposite Simran once again. The film became the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time until the record Balakrishna won his first Nandi Award for Best Actor for his performance. In the same year, he appeared in Bhalevadivi Basu with Shilpa Shetty and Anjala Zaveri. His 2002 and 2003 films include Seema Simham and Chennakesava Reddy. The former received unfavourable reviews and was a box office flop, but the latter one was critically and financially successful. In 2004, he performed in a remake of the 2003 Tamil film Saamy, titled Lakshmi Narasimha, with Asin. The film and Balakrishna's performance won critical acclaim and was a financial success. During the period, he also announced plans to act and direct in the remake of Nartanasala, starred by his father, and a launch event was held in Hyderabad in March 2003. Produced by Pusapati Lakshmipati Raju, the film was announced to have an ensemble cast also featuring Soundarya, Srihari, Saikumar, Uday Kiran and Asin in lead roles. However, despite a grand launch, the film was later shelved following the sudden demise of Soundarya.

The years from 2005 to 2009 saw action-drama flicks such as Vijayendra Varma, Veerabhadra, Allari Pidugu, Okka Magaadu and Maharathi which did not perform well at the box office. He paired with Sneha and Tabu in the mythological movie Pandurangadu (2008), directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. He played the dual roles of Krishna and Panduranga. Rediff described his performance as "Balakrishna does justice to both the roles of God and Ranga. He shines in the climax of the movie. It's quite a task to step into NTR's shoes, but his son has done pretty well, though one does miss NTR in the role of Krishna!". The film was an average success and his performance won him the Santosham Best Actor Award. In the year 2009, he starred in the family drama Mitrudu, alongside Priyamani in a slightly different role – that of a dependable friend and confidante to the female lead. The film opened to average reviews.

2010–present: Continued fluctuations with major successes

In 2010, Balakrishna acted in Boyapati Srinu's film Simha, alongside Nayantara and Sneha Ullal. He played a dual role as father and son. The film opened to positive reviews, and went on to become the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year. A review in Rediff said about his performance: "Balakrishna has put in a restrained performance. Though his character is supposed to roar at times, he seems subdued most of the time. But he's given plenty to be pleased about as it is his show all the way." In 2011, he acted in the mythological film Sri Rama Rajyam, based on the epic Ramayana. He played a triple role in the 2012 action drama Adhinayakudu as grandfather, father and grandson. Balakrishna was the chief guest for the 43rd International Film Festival of India, 2012. At the event, he was accompanied by Governor of Goa, B. V. Wanchoo, and the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar during the closing ceremony. Balakrishna, in his speech, said that although the Telugu film industry finds no place in the film festival by way of representation its films, 80 percent of the movies that are produced in India are in regional languages, out of which Fifty percent are from South India. "Today, film industry is facing competition from radio, and television as also from piracy," he stated. He also maintained that the film festivals have enlarged his vision towards his career.

In 2014, he acted in Boyapati Srinu's film Legend, alongside Sonal Chauhan and Jagapathi Babu. He played the title role in the biographical and historical film Gautamiputra Satakarni, his 100th film. The film is directed by Krish and is based on the life of the 2nd century ruler of the Satavahana dynasty, Gautamiputra Satakarni. In 2018, he acted in Jai Simha, which was directed by K. S. Ravikumar and started shooting for the N.T.R. biopic in which he reprised the role of his father. The film was made in two parts, the first part NTR: Kathanayakudu was released on 9 January 2019, with the second NTR: Mahanayakudu on 22 February 2019. His 2021 movie Akhanda marks third collaboration with director Boyapati Srinu, featuring his dual role as Aghori Baba and a farmer. It was a super hit at the box office. In 2023, Nandamuri Balakrishna starred in the Telugu film Bhagavanth Kesari.

Political career

Since the founding of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982, Balakrishna campaigned for it in every election for Rama Rao and Chandrababu Naidu, but did not enter the electoral battle until 2014. During a vacation to his father-in-law's house, he went on a political campaign for TDP all over the East Godavari district. He contested in the 2014 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election and won the Hindupur Assembly Constituency seat with a reasonable majority. He also won again in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, consecutively. Hindupur, in Anantapur district, has been a stronghold for TDP since the formation of the party in 1983. It was once represented by his father and later for a term by his elder brother, Nandamuri Harikrishna. Balakrishna is the third member from the family to represent it in the State Assembly.

Controversies

Shootout issue

Balakrishna was involved in a shootout controversy which took place on 3 June 2004 around 8:50 PM at his residence in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. He allegedly fired shots at producer Bellamkonda Suresh and his associate, Satyanarayana Chowdhary. Later, both the wounded were admitted into Apollo hospital. The circumstances under which the case was handled led to controversy as purported by the Human Rights Forum (HRF). The HRF questioned the authenticity of people who handled the case, and the circumstances under which Balakrishna was shielded from police by being given refuge in Care Hospital without any justifiable cause. The two victims gave statements before the magistrate, alleging that Balakrishna fired shots at them, but later retracted their earlier statements. Balakrishna was later arrested on 6 June and produced before Fifth Metropolitan Magistrate. A show cause notice was also served to Balakrishna's wife Vasundhara Devi as the weapon used was registered to her, and she could not give sufficient protection to her weapon. Later, Balakrishna was granted bail on the conditions that he should not leave Hyderabad without the court's permission and to surrender his passport.

History of Bipolar Disorder

After Balakrishna was involved in the shootout on 3 June, 2004, he was admitted at NIMS Hospital, Hyderabad, reports have come out that he was suffering from depression for a year. Balakrishna was treated for his condition in more than five hospitals in Hyderabad. apart from the ones in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Rajasthan.

The director of NIMS Hospital at the time of the incident, invited doctors from the Institute of Mental Health, Erragadda, to study the psychological condition of Balakrishna. After the medical records of his mental condition were examined by the team of doctors, it was concluded that his mental condition might be related to an ankle fracture he suffered while shooting a film at Jodhpur. The team quoted that the reports from the Jodhpur hospital after the accident, mentioned about treating a mental disorder, apart from the foot injury.

The psychoanalysis conducted on the actor indicated that Balakrishna was also experiencing manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder. Individuals experiencing this disorder may exhibit either heightened excitement or total withdrawal. Additionally, they may display atypical anger.

Comments on ''Savitri''

In March 2016, Balakrishna faced criticism following remarks he made at an audio release event for the Telugu film Savitri, where comments attributed to him about women drew backlash from opposition political leaders. A police complaint was lodged in Hyderabad alleging that the remarks were objectionable, and authorities stated that legal provisions would be examined before further action. Balakrishna later issued an apology, stating that his comments were made in a lighter vein in context of the movie characters he plays and that he had no intention of offending or humiliating anyone.{{cite news

Remarks about Narendra Modi

In April 2019, Balakrishna drew criticism for remarks made during an election campaign in Andhra Pradesh, in which he made controversial comments directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The statements, reported by multiple news outlets, led to complaints being lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, who alleged that the remarks were abusive and inappropriate. Police officials stated that the complaints were received and forwarded for legal opinion, with authorities examining the matter in accordance with procedure.{{cite news

Awards

Civilian honours

;Gaddar Telangana Film Awards

• NTR National Award (2024) ;Nandi Awards
• Best Actor – Narasimha Naidu (2001)
• Best Actor – Simha (2010)
• Best Actor – Legend (2014)

;3rd IIFA Utsavam

• Golden Legacy Award for outstanding achievement in Indian cinema

;SIIMA Awards

• Best Actor – Legend

;CineMAA Awards

• CineMAA Award for Best Actor - Male – Simha (2010)

;Santosham Film Awards

• Santosham Best Actor Award – Pandurangadu
• Santosham Best Actor Award – Simha
• Santosham Best Actor Award – Sri Rama Rajyam

;TSR National Awards

• Best Actor Award for the year 2010 – Male – Simha
• Best Actor Award for the year 2011 – Male – Sri Rama Rajyam
• Best Actor Award for the year 2014 – Male – Legend

;Other Awards

• Samman Award – Highest taxpayer in the charge of Commissioner of Income Tax.
• Bharata Muni award for Best Actor of the year 2009 – Pandurangadu
• Bharata Muni award Best Actor of the year 2010 – Simha
• Bharata Muni award Best Actor of the year 2011 – Sri Rama Rajyam
• A.P. CINE Goers Association Best Actor Award – Narasimha Naidu Chennakesava Reddy and Pandurangadu.
• Akkineni Abhinaya Puraskaram for the year 2007
• South Indian Cinematographers Awards 2015 Best Actor –Legend

;Nominations ;;Filmfare Awards South

• Best Actor – Telugu – Muvva Gopaludu
• Best Actor – Telugu – Aditya 369
• Best Actor – Telugu – Narasimha Naidu
• Best Actor – Telugu – Simha
• Best Actor – Telugu – Sri Rama Rajyam
• Best Actor – Telugu – Gauthamiputra Satakarni
• Best Actor – Telugu – Bhagavanth Kesari

References

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