Krishnam Raju

Some Lesser Known Facts About Krishnam Raju

• Krishnam Raju was an Indian actor and politician who is known for starring in various popular Telugu films like Amara Deepam (1977), Mana Voori Pandavulu  (1978), and Bobbili Brahmanna (1984). In the late 1990s, he became active in politics. During his five-and-a-half decade-long film career, he acted in 183 films and went by the name ‘Rebel Star’ due to his rebellious acting style.

• Growing up, he was a keen sportsperson who was fond of playing kabaddi and volleyball.  He was a renowned inter-collegiate volleyball player and was selected for national games in Kabaddi.

• Krishnam Raju worked as a journalist for the Indian freedom fighter Andhra Ratna (Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya). He was awarded the Second Best Photographer at the state level.

• In 1966, he ventured into the entertainment industry with the Nandi Award-winning Telugu film Chilaka Gorinka. Although the film won Nandi Award for Best Feature Film – Silver, it did not produce the expected results at the box office.

• He came into the limelight when he played an antagonist named Anand in the Telugu film Nenante Nene (1968) alongside Kanchana. In the film, Anand imposters Rajkumar to inherit the property of his deceased father.

  

• Although Krishnam Raju was reluctant to play a negative role at first, he took the role in Nenante Nene (1968) upon being advised by his peers and co-actors to gain exposure to a diversified character. His portrayal of the role set the trend of handsome villains in the industry.

• He played the protagonist Arjuna/Kannappa in the Telugu mythological film Bhakta Kannappa (1976), which went on to win the National Film Award for Best Audiography.  The film was  produced under his own banner ‘GopiKrishna.’

  

• In 1978, he appeared in another prominent film of his career Manavoori Pandavulu in which he played the protagonist Krishna, who brings together an unlikely group of 5 youngsters to oppose their village sarpanch Rambhoopal’s cruel deeds. The film went on to earn Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) in 1978.

  

• His films Manavoori Pandavulu (1978) and Katakatala Rudraiah (1978) were released within a span of 10 days. Interestingly, both films went on to become silver jubilee films.

• He entered the political arena on a Congress ticket in the general elections in 1992 when he contested and lost the Narasapuram Lok Sabha seat.

• In 1977, he rose to popularity with the Telugu drama film Amara Deepam in which he played the role of Hari/Shri Krishna for which he bagged the Filmfare Best Actor Award (Telugu) and Nandi Award for Best Actor in the same year.

• In the 1998 general elections, he contested the Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency on a ticket from the BJP and won the election by a thumping majority of 1.65 lakh votes with the support from the prominent Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham.

• When his silver screen colleague Chiranjeevi launched the Praja Rajyam Party in 2009, Raju joined the party.

  

• In an interview, he revealed that used to go hunting in a forest and had hunted various animals and birds like green pigeons and mountain sheep and lamps. He revealed that he stopped hunting after it was banned.  ^[9]Sakshi

• He appeared in various Telugu mythological films like Sri Krishnavataram (1967), Kurukshetram (1977), and Sri Vinayaka Vijayamu (1979).

• In 1984, garnered immense appreciation for his dual roles as Brahmanna and Ravi in the film Bobbili Brahmanna, which earned him Filmfare Best Actor Award (Telugu) and Nandi Award for Best Actor.

• He played the titular role in the 1986 Telugu biographical war film Tandra Paparayudu for which he earned the Filmfare Best Actor Award for the year 1986. Premiered at the 11th International Film Festival of India, Tandra Paparayudu showcased the story of an Indian freedom fighter who fought the French before the Britishers started ruling India.

  

• Other popular Telugu films under his belt include Palnati Pourusham (1994), Maa Nannaku Pelli (1997), Rangoon Rowdy (1979), Katakatala Rudrayya (1978), and Palnati Paurusham (1994).

• In 1997, he ventured into the Kannada film industry Hai Bangalore and Simhada Mari.

• The Ban on Cow Slaughter Bill, 1999 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Yogi Adityanath, which provided for a complete prohibition on the slaughter of cows for all purposes. In 2000, Krishnam Raju moved a motion in the Lok Sabha for the introduction of The Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Bill, 2000.

• In 2009, he joined Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) floated by popular Telugu actor Chiranjeevi in 2008.

  

• After losing the Rajahmundry Lok Sabha seat in 2009 on a ticket from PRP, he tried to contest the 2014 general elections from the BJP but was not given the ticket.

• He served as the President of the Telugu Artists Association for 18 years.

• He worked towards educating rural masses to make them aware of fiscal, academic, and political policies.

• He was actively engaged in Sangh Pariwar activities; The Sangh Parivar refers to the collection of Hindu nationalist organisations spawned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

• He worked for the relief of cyclone-affected people and collected funds for the rehabilitation of families of police personnel. He was instrumental in establishing open-air theatres in  Nellore, Ellore, and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.

• Raju’s last film was Radhe Shyam (2022), in which he played the role of Paramahamsa. The film was presented by Krishnam Raju under his production company Gopi Krishna Movies.

• In his later years, Krishnam Raju suffered from diabetes, coronary heart disease, post-cardiac stenting with chronic heart rhythm disorder and heart dysfunction. In 2021, he underwent leg amputation for peripheral vascular disease.