Krishnam Raju (1940-2022) was an Indian actor and politician. Raju was a famous Telugu film actor in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in many hit films such as Amara Deepam (1977), Mana Voori Pandavulu (1978) and Bobbili Brahmanna (1984). Apart from his film career, Krishnam Raju started his political career with the Congress in 1991 and later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. In 2009, he also briefly joined the Praja Rajyam Party, a political party led by actor Chiranjeevi. He had a career in the Indian film industry spanning five and a half decades, during which he appeared in 183 films. Raju passed away on September 11, 2022, at the Asian Gastroenterology Hospital Research Institute, Hyderabad, following a prolonged illness due to severe pneumonia and post-COVID-19 complications.
Wiki/Biography
Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju was born on Saturday, January 20, 1940, in Mogalturu, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh , died at the age of 82. Born into a Kshatriya family. Raju was treated like a royal prince during his student days. As a student, he was a well-known intercollegiate volleyball player and was selected for the national kabaddi competition. After completing his studies, he joined Baba Delukar College of Commerce and Arts, Hyderabad, where he pursued Bachelor of Commerce. However, his Lok Sabha resume shows that he was an undergraduate.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5’10”
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Krishnan Raju and his daughter
family
Parents and siblings
His father’s name was Uppalapati Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Raju (late). His younger brother Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju (Prabhas’ father) is an Indian film producer who works with Krishnam Raju under the Gopi Krishna Movies brand.
Krishnan Raju and his parents
From left to right: Prabhas, Krishnam Raju and Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju
wife and children
After the death of his first wife Seetha Devi, he married U. Shyamala Devi on September 20, 1996. Krishnam Raju and Shyamala Devi have three daughters: Prisidi and Prakriti. and Pradeep Putti.
Krishnam Raju poses with portrait of his first wife Seeta Devi
Krishnam Raju with wife Shyamala Devi and daughters
others
Indian actors Prabhas and Siddharth Rajkumar of Baahubali fame are Krishnan Raju’s nephews.
From left to right: Siddharth Rajkumar, Krishnam Raju and Prabhas
caste
Krishnam Raju belongs to the Kshatriya family.
address
He lives in 114, MLA Colony, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Profession
Before venturing into the entertainment industry, Krishnam Raju worked as a journalist in a daily called ‘Andhra Ratna’, which was run by his relatives. On the other hand, he is also a passionate photographer who runs a photo studio called “Royal Studio” in Abids. In addition to still photography, he also shoots documentaries and commercials. Later, he also founded the production company Gopi Krishna Movies with his brother. He also received state awards for his photography.
Movie
Krishnam Raju made his Tollywood debut in 1966 with the Telugu film Chilaka Gorinka, teaming up with Krishna Kumari. The film won the Silver Nandi Award for Best Feature Film in the same year. However, it did not achieve the expected box office results.
Chilaka Golinka(1966)
In 1968, he came to attention for his role as the villain Anand in the Telugu film Nenante Nene (1968). In 1976, he appeared in the mythological film Bhakta Kannapa (1976), playing the protagonist Arjuna/Kannapa. The film was produced by Gopi Krishna Movies and won the National Film Award for Best Dubbing in the same year.
Krishnam Raju as Arjuna (Kannapa) in “Bhakta Kannappa” (1976)
His other Telugu mythological films include Sri Krishnavataram (1967), Kurukshetram (1977) and Sri Vinayaka Vijayamu (1979). In 1978, his Telugu films Manavoori Pandavulu and Katakatala Rudraiah were released within 10 days. Interestingly, both films later became Jubilee films. In the film Manavoori Pandavulu, he played the protagonist Krishna, who rallies a group of five young people to fight against the cruelty of Rambhoopal, the village sarpanch. The film won the Filmfare Award for Best Film (Telugu) in the same year.
Manawari Pandauru(1978)
He gained popularity for his role as Hari/Shri Krishna in the Telugu drama film Amara Deepam (1977). The film was critically acclaimed and Krishnam Raju won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Telugu) and the Nandi Award for Best Actor in the same year.
In 1986, he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his eponymous role in the Telugu biographical war film Tandra Paparayudu that year. In 1984, he gained immense appreciation for his dual role of Brahmanna and Ravi in the Telugu film Bobbili Brahmanna, which earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Telugu) and the Nandi Award for Best Actor. Actor Award. In his career that spanned five and a half decades, he starred in several hit Telugu films such as Trishulam (1982), Rangoon Rowdy (1979), Katakatala Rudrayya (1978) and Palnati Paurusham (1994).
Katakatala Rudraya(1978)
He made his foray into Kannada films with the films “Hai Bangalore” (1997) and “Simhada Mari” (1997).
politics
1991 general election
In 1991, he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Narasapuram Lok Sabha constituency on an INC ticket. He lost to TDP candidate Bhupathiraju Vijayakumar Raju, who won by a margin of 58,549 votes. This defeat led him to leave the Congress and join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
1998 general election
In 1998, he won the Kakinada Lok Sabha seat from the BJP, defeating the BJP candidate Gopala Krishna Tota by a margin of 67,799 votes. From 1998 to 1999, he served as a member of the Commerce Committee and the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
1999 general election
In 1999, Krishnam Raju contested the Narasapuram Lok Sabha election with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and defeated the Congress by 165,948 votes Candidate Kanumuri Bapiraju won. Thereafter, he was appointed as the Lok Sabha whip of the BJP. From 1999 to 2000, he served as a member of the Finance Committee and the Member of Parliament’s Local Development Planning Committee. In 2000, he was appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. On September 30, 2000, he was appointed Federal Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; he served until July 21, 2001. In 2000, he even moved a motion to the Lok Sabha to introduce the Cow Slaughter Prohibition Bill. From July 22, 2001 to June 30, 2002, he served as Federal Minister of State for Defense. Raju served as Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution from July 1, 2002 to January 8, 2003, and was appointed Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development on January 29, 2003.
2009 general election
In 2009, Raju left the Bharatiya Janata Party and joined the People’s Party (PRP), a political organization led by Indian actor Chiranjeevi. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, he contested and lost the Rajahmundry Lok Sabha seat. The seat was won by INC candidate Aruna Kumar Vundavalli with a margin of 2,147 votes. Raju quit the party in July 2009 after the party performed dismally in the simultaneous Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
Krishnam Raju poses with PRP Chairman Chiranjeevi after joining Praja Rajyam, Hyderabad in 2009
Rejoin the Bharatiya Janata Party
In 2014, he rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of its president, Rajnath Singh. Thereafter, he tried to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from the Bharatiya Janata Party, but did not get the ticket. He has since ceased to participate in political activities.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
Southern Film Audience Award
- Best Actor – Telugu – Amaradeepam (1977)
- Best Actor – Telugu – Bobbili Brahmanna (1984)
- Best Actor – Telugu – Tandra Paparayudu (1986)
- Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)
Nandi Award
- Best Actor for the film Amara Deepam (1977)
- Best Actor for the film “Bobbili Brahmanna” (1984)
- Jailor Gaari Abbayi won the Best Actor Award (1994)
TSR TV9 National Award
- Lifetime Achievement Award (2012)
- Legendary Screen Actors (2015)
- 5 Decade Star Awards (2016)
others
- Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu Award (2014)
- Zee Telugu Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)
- Gulf Andhra Music Awards (GAMA) Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)
assets/property
movable property
- Deposits with banks, financial institutions and non-banking financial companies: Rs 7,28,560
- Corporate bonds, debentures and shares: Rs 62,40,511
- Motor vehicles: Rs 25,10,000
real estate
- Agricultural land: Rs 65,37,500
- Non-agricultural land: Rs 1,24,79,110
- Building: Rs 5,33,33,200
Note: Estimates of movable and immovable assets are calculated based on 2009 data.
net worth
As of 2009, his net worth is Rs 6,48,31,733.
die
On September 11, 2022, Raju died of cardiac arrest at 3:16 am after being hospitalized for a month after being diagnosed with severe pneumonia and post-COVID-19 complications.
Facts/Trivia
- His rebellious acting style earned him the title of Tollywood’s “Rebel Star”
- Raju was not a vegetarian. He revealed in an interview that he used to hunt and eat various animals and birds such as blue pigeons, goats and lamps. He also revealed that he later stopped when hunting was banned.
- In his spare time, Raju enjoys reading, studying rural folklore, and performing religious rituals.
- A veteran of the Telugu film industry, he served as the president of the Telugu Artists Association for 18 years. As a way of giving back to the industry, he established open-air theaters in Nellore, Ellol and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
- He actively participated in the activities of the Hindu nationalist group Sangh Pariwar.
- For many years before his death, he suffered from multiple diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic arrhythmia after cardiac stent surgery, and cardiac insufficiency. In 2021, he underwent leg surgery and amputation due to peripheral vascular disease.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education