


While the Megastars – MGR, Shivaji Ganesan and Kannada Rajkumar vied for the roles of other Mahabharata heroes like Karna, Arjuna and Bhima, there was no denying that NTR would be the only one to play Lord Krishna. NTR, in fact, played the role of Lord Krishna not only in Telugu Movies, but also in Tamil and Kannada movies. He used to perform roles in mythological movies like those only Shivaji could perform and even do commercial Janapadham (where the adventurous prince saves the damsel in distress) films which were MGR's forte. NTR struck a balance between both kinds of cinema. In Tamilnadu, Shivaji Ganesan was much more known for his acting skill and talent and MGR was much more known for his commercial movies. In addition, he generally used to play multiple roles in the same movie, which increased the number of dialogues and hence the preparation required. An important factor that made him a great actor was his ability to deliver dialogues which were extremely lengthy that were original verses from Ramayana and Mahabharatha, with a fervour and command (unlike most of his contemporaries, with certain exceptions like S. NTR was naturally talented and extremely disciplined with various aspects of acting like preparation, punctuality, and dialogue delivery. Analysts believe that the Telugu film industry produced some of the best mythological movies from India, while the Tamil and Hindi movie industry produced better socially oriented films. NTR had a major contribution to what can be considered "The Golden Age of Telugu Film Making" especially between the 19. His portrayal of avatars of Vishnu, especially Rama and Krishna, mesmerised an entire generation who saw the face of NTR when the Lord Krishna/Rama was mentioned, this even transcending even into non-Telugu speaking states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. His portrayal of Lord Krishna in MaayaBazaar by B.Nagi Reddy, producer of Vijaya Productions was a turning point in his life. Though widely recognised for his mythological characters, NTR is considered one of the greatest actors in Telugu film, and in South Indian film generally. NTR highlighted Andhra Pradesh's distinct cultural identity, distinguishing it from Madras State, with which it was so often associated. He later received an honorary doctorate from Andhra University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Andhra-Christian College of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

He was born in Nimmakuru, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. After his film career, NTR became a political activist and party leader. He was awarded the Padma Sree by the Government of India in the 1960s, recognizing his contribution to Telugu cinema. His repertoire of films included mythological, social and folk themes. He founded the Telugu Desam Party and served thrice as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Rama Rao, NTR, Pedala Pennidhi by his fans, or Anna garu, was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician.
