Nandamuri Harikrishna: A Tiger on silver screen!

Acting came natural for Nandamuri Harikrishna. He roared like a tiger on silver screen. He lacked conventional good looks yet he oozed charisma. His off-screen and political persona of daring personality made him a star in movies even though he started playing ‘lead hero’ roles at a very late age. He became a force to reckon with in his late 40’s and early 50’s. 

While his younger son NTR Jr setting box-office on fire with ‘Aadi’ and ‘Simhadri’, Hari Krishna began giving hits with films like “Seetayya”. 

Unlike his younger brother Balakrishna, he was not introduced as hero by his legendary father NT Rama Rao but he debuted in his father’s film ‘Sri Krishnavataram’ as child artist. He later had acted in Talla Pellamma (1970), Tatamma Kala (1974), Ram Raheem (1974) and Daana Veera Shura Karna (1977) but he didn’t win much name and fame. When his father NT Rama Rao launched Telugu Desam party and went on touring Andhra Pradesh on Chaitanya Ratham (a specially designed bus), he took the onus of driving it. He was with his father’s political journey but he rallied behind Chandrababu Naidu when he staged coup against NT Rama Rao and later became minister in Naidu’s cabinet. 

It was in the late 90’s that he returned to silver screen. Nandamuri Harikrishna won name as an actor in his late age when he started doing films like “Sri Ramulayya”. In “Sri Ramulayya”, he played the role of Comrade Satyam, a guru kind of role to Mohan Babu who did the role of Paritala Ravi and it was director YVS Chowdhary who brought star status to him. Chowdhary gave him full-length role of an elder brother to Nagarjuna ‘Seetharamaraju’ (1999) and later he made him as ‘hero’ ‘Laahiri Laahiri Laahirilo’ (2002) and ‘Seetayya’ (2003), which were biggest hits of his career. 

He also did appear in films like ‘Tiger Harischandra Prasad’ and ‘Sravana Maasam’ but they didn’t succeed. Around the same time, his son NTR Jr became a big star and his other son Kalyan Ram also tasted success with ‘Atanokkade’. So he stopped doing films. He lost his son Janakiram in similar tragic road accident on the same national highway three years ago. 

He also served as Rajya Sabha MP. Nandamuri Harikrishna had huge fan following among Telugu Desam party cadre. Known as a man with good-heart and daring personality, he had seen many up and downs in life but always remained popular.