Chiranjeevi to Balakrishna, Pawan Kalyan, Jr NTR: Telugu film industry remembers NTR’s legacy on his 100th birth anniversary

If Nagaiah was the first bonafide star in Telugu cinema in the early 1940s, it took the arrival of NTR and ANR to give the industry a real taste of stardom in terms of popularity, crowd-pulling abilities and mass hysteria in the 1950s. While NTR set no boundaries for himself as an actor, ANR was clearly aware of his strengths and limitations and chose roles that complemented his persona.

The first glimpse of NTR’s stardom was with his Pathala Bhairavi, that opened to a tepid response initially but enjoyed a blockbuster run across multiple languages in the later weeks. From being a newcomer at Vijaya Productions who drew a monthly salary to establishing a production house himself and directing films later, NTR excelled at multiple roles.

On the 100th birth anniversary of the legendary star-politician, several members from the Telugu film fraternity took to social media to recollect the legacy that NTR has left behind. Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan, NTR’s son Balakrishna, grandsons Jr NTR, Kalyan Ram, Vishnu Manchu, Manoj Manchu, director Sreenu Vaitla and the leading production houses in the industry expressed their admiration for him.

Chiranjeevi felt NTR’s story would be relevant for many more generations, called him a one-in-a-million personality, with whom he had the privilege of working with (Tirugu Leni Manishi). Jr NTR affectionately asked if it would be possible for his granddad to descend on the earth for once and bless us all again? Pawan Kalyan remembered the impact NTR made as a politician as well, his revolutionary schemes that benefit the common man even today.

Several family members of the Nandamuri clan paid their last respects to NTR at the NTR Ghat earlier this morning. NTR, born in Nimmakuru on May 28, 1923, breathed his last in January 1996. He was a three-time CM of Andhra Pradesh - his sons Balakrishna, Harikrishna, Mohana Krishna, grandsons Taraka Ratna, Kalyan Ram, Jr NTR have all made a mark in Telugu cinema.