Nandamuri Balakrishna

Nandamuri Balakrishna is an Indian actor, producer and politician. He appeared in more than 100 Telugu films over forty years in a variety of roles and established himself as one of the leading actors of Telugu cinema. He won three Nandi Awards and one South Indian International Movie Award. He is an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Hindupuram constituency since 2014.

The sixth son of veteran Telugu film actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao, Balakrishna entered the film industry as a child artist at the age of 14 with the film Tatamma Kala (1974) and has acted in more than a hundred feature films in varied roles. He has achieved commercial success, since the 1980s, in films such as, Sahasame Jeevitham (1984), Janani Janmabhoomi (1984), Mangammagari Manavadu (1984), Apoorva Sahodarulu (1986), Muvva Gopaludu (1987), Muddula Mavayya (1989), Nari Nari Naduma Murari (1990), Lorry Driver (1990), Aditya 369 (1991), Rowdy Inspector (1992), Bangaru Bullodu (1993), Bhairava Dweepam (1994), Peddannayya (1997), Samarasimha Reddy (1999), Narasimha Naidu (2001), Chennakesava Reddy (2002), Simha (2010), Legend (2014), and Akhanda (2021). Some of these films earned him accolades, as well.

He has also acted in biographical, historical and hagiographical films. He played poet Vemulawada Bheemakavi in Vemulawada Bheemakavi (1976); Abhimanyu in Daana Veera Soora Karna (1977); Jahangir in Akbar Salim Anarkali (1979); Narada in Sri Tirupati Venkateswara Kalyanam (1979); Sidda in Srimadvirat Veerabrahmendra Swami Charitra (1984) which was screened at the Moscow Film Festival; Krishnadevaraya in Aditya 369 (1991) which was screened at the International Film Festival of India; Satya Harischandra and Dushyanta in Brahmarshi Vishwamitra (1991); Lord Krishna and Arjuna in Sri Krishnarjuna Vijayam (1996); Pundarika in Pandurangadu (2008); his father, N. T. Rama Rao, in NTR: Mahanayakudu (2019) and NTR: Kathanayakudu (2019); and Lord Rama in Sri Rama Rajyam (2011) which received special mention at the International Film Festival of India.

In his 100th film, he played Gautamiputra Satakarni, second-century ruler of the Satavahana dynasty in the epic war film Gautamiputra Satakarni (2017). The film was screened at the first "Edinburgh Festival of Indian Films and Documentaries". Balakrishna has received three state Nandi Awards for Best Actor for his works in Narasimha Naidu (2001), Simha (2010), and Legend (2014) as of 2014. In 2014, he received the South Indian International Movie Award for best actor for his work in Legend. Balakrishna serves as the Chairman of Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research.

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