PART I

Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao, popularly known as N.T.R, was born on 28th May in "nimmakooru", Krishna Dt. 

His mother initially wanted to name him after god "kRshNa", but at his uncle's spontaneous comment "taaraka raamuDu", 

he became Taraka Ramarao. Later he was adopted by his uncle raamayya. Though he was born into an agricultural family,

 his family put value on education and his father took him all the way to the school in the neighbouring village everyday, 

carrying him on his shoulders. (Many sources told us that he respected educated people throughout his life and it was

 a considerable factor in the selection of his later candidates for the assembly polls - Yes, yes there were some serious 

exceptions! - and in his selection of people for other posts. One of the things that he would often say about his controversial 

second wife during the conflicts in the year before his death was that 'aaviDa M. Phil cESaaru. baagaa caduvukunnaaru', 

as if the degree itself validated her personal worth).

He was a good student performing well in school and college (he flunked his intermediate exams shortly after his marriage, 

but went on to earn a BA in economics from AC College, Guntur). Have you ever seen his hand-writing? Try to get hold of 

the Telugu film magazine vijayachitra's inagural edition or their 20th anniversary special! It is really beautiful. Apparently,

he was a very good artist, and even won a prize in painting competitions at state level before his entry into films. He presented 

a portrait of Subhas Bose to him when Bose visited Vijayawada.  Reportedly it was him that drew the original sketches for his 

election symbols - cycle and later lion. 

He had his schooling at Municipal High school, Vijayawada and S.R.R. College, VZA before joining A.C. College, GNT.

One often quoted story is from his intermediate days at S.R.R. College, where viSwanaatha satyanaaraayaNa was the head 

of the Telugu dept. He was asked to play a female role by Viswanatha, and with great reluctance he played that role,

but refused  to shave off his moustache, earning the nickname  "meesaala naagamma". At AC College, he continued his activities 

in the Dramatic Club, where he was associated with jaggayya, mukkaamala and KVS Sarma.

He was still a 'raitu biDDa' at his heart. He was known in his native village for his ability to tame the wayward bulls, and for his 

banDlapandElu. During his college days, his family went through a bad patch (his family lost all their wealth through a series of 

bad deals and loans) and young Ramarao tried several things to make a living. He supplied milk to the hotels and denizens of 

Viajyawada, and ran a 'kiraaNaa koTTu' and a press among other things. (Also, in his early days in Madras, there is an often

 told story about how the penniless Ramarao went without a meal for three days and did not let even his roommates know. 

One of the  roommates was yOgaanand who would go on to direct many films, including NTR's own. Somebody that was close

to him told us that these experiences shaped his later behavior. He was very much against taking loans, and when he heard

of people going without food, he would feel that pain. People say that this was partly behind that two rupees a kg rice scheme.). 

He was recommended to L.V. Prasad in Vijayawada where he used to act in his own National Art Theatre productions, formed

 in his early college days (and on same lable: NAT he produced some of his early gems: jayasiMha, paanDuranga maahaatmyam, 

seetaaraama kalyaaNam.) in 1947. His first film was "manadESam" (released in 1949, after great production delays; originally

started way back in 47/48) and played the  role of a police inspector. Another often quoted incident from this film: In his 

very first scene, that of a "lathi"-charge, he swung into action, brandishing his "laaThi" and chasing the people, like a bull in a china 

shop. When LV Prasad angrily said that it was cinema and he was only supposed to pretend and act, the puzzled NTR replied 

that "what is acting? Trying to be realistic?" and smiled helplessly.

He signed his first role as a "hero" with B.A. Subbarao and was offered Rs. 1116. He went off to Vijayawada and resigned the 

job as sub-registrar at mangaLagiri, at which he worked for only 3 weeks. Subbarao, who was an addict of 'Western' movies

 always liked the idea of a _he-man_ playing the lead role in his films as those days there was a certain femininity with 

the men playing hero's roles. Later he recalled that "As he was approaching me zooming and zooming in, I told my

assistant taapi chaaNakya that this is the man who shall be my hero!". And the film was "palleToori pilla", a big hit, the first 

major film for the music director Adinarayanarao, a first joint starrer of ANR and NTR, who went on to act in 12-13 films 

together, many of them regarded as classics in Telugu film history.

--Sreenivas Paruchuri