Bengaluru: With less than a week to go for polling in Andhra Pradesh, Tollywood’s leading families with political connections, have come out to campaign for their kin, who are in the election fray. Many have begun physically campaigning, while others have expressed support through social media, or through electronic means.
Tollywood has had a connect with politics that predates NTR. Kongara Jaggaiah, who played male lead in many Telugu movies, and translated Rabindra Nath Tagore’s works into Telugu, was the first Indian actor to enter the Parliament when he won on a Congress ticket from Ongole in 1967. His co-star in many movies, Jamuna was also a Congress MP in 1989. She was also associated with the BJP briefly during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee era.
Although many Telugu film stars, directors, lyricists and screen writers were connected with politics, with most of them supporting the Congress, the entry of NTR was the seminal point that proved that film actors can not only be successful stars, but also excel in politics.
NTR, among the most talented of south Indian actors who ruled during the three decades beginning the 50s, symbolized the Andhra ethos and pride and his entry into politics in 1982, changed the scenario beyond recognition. NTR ousted the Congress that ruled Andhra Pradesh since the formation of the state, and set up the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) as a regional force that would battle the Grand Old Party for power.
It is a tribute to NTR that TDP remains a strong political formation to this day, and his legacy continues both in politics and in films, and includes many of his relatives, including his son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu and his son Balakrishna among the leading lights of TDP. The younger scions of the NTR family who have done well in Tollywood including NTR Jr., and Kalyan Ram, both sons of NTR’s son Harikrishna.
The only other Andhra Pradesh clan that rivals the NTR clan both in politics and cinema is the Konidela-Allu clan that has bound two families through marriage. The Konidela family patriarch is Chiranjeevi, arguably the biggest star in Telugu films for the last three decades. Chiranjeevi dabbed in politics for a few years, setting up the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) in 2008, only to merge it with the Congress in return for a union ministership in the UPA II government. Chiranjeevi could not stomach the hurly burly of politics and returned to films.
However, his younger brother Pawan Kalyan, who launched the Jana Sena Party (JSP) is now the most spoken about politician in AP, and is assisted in his political work by his actor-brother Naga Babu, who is elder to Pawan.
Chiranjeevi is married to Surekha, sister of leading film producer Allu Arvind, himself son of veteran character actor Allu Ramalingayya. Chiranjeevi nephews include super star Allu Arjun, Allu Sirish, Varun Tej, Niharika, Sai Dharam Tej, and Panja Vaisshnav Tej.
Now the two powerful families have also been connected politically, with Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP allying with Jana Sena, to challenge the ruling YSRCP. The younger members of both clans have kept away from participating in the families’ political ventures. But the heat of the intense battle between the TDP-JSP combine versus the YSRCP seems to have finally drawn them into the campaign arena.
Chiranjeevi, the mega star, who has so kept aloof from politics for many years, released a video praising his brother. Pawan Kalyan also received campaign support from the young film heroes of the Allu and Konidela family, barring Allu Arjun, who seems to have kept himself out of the political limelight.
Similar is the case with the NTR family, known by the family name of Nandamuri. The Nandamuri family of the late NTR too have entered the campaign scene, with many of them working for Nara Lokesh, son of Chandrababu Naidu. Balakrishna is already in the thick of campaign, fighting in his own constituency, Hindupur, while other Nandamuri scions who are film stars such as Nara Rohit have been campaigning vigorously. Rohit, son of Chandrababu Naidu’s brother Nara Ramamurthy Naidu, and who developed a fan following for his roles in films like Solo and Asura, has been one of the faces of the TDP-JSP campaign, delivering fiery speeches.
However, two of the biggest stars of Tollywood, Allu Arjun (Pushpa) and NTR Jr (RRR) are missing in action, raising eyebrows. Allu Arjun’s absence has been explained as having to do with a very busy shooting and promotion schedule, while NTR Jr’s abnegation of political limelight may have to do with his distance from his family. T
The RRR star is the son of NTR’s son Harikrishna from his second wife, Shalini. NTR Jr is reported to have felt that his mother never received acceptance or respect from the Nandamuri family, and has by and large kept away from TDP, the family’s political business.
Clans with big stakes in AP politics and Tollywood field star scions in poll battle
17
0
08.05.2024
Bengaluru: With less than a week to go for polling in Andhra Pradesh, Tollywood’s leading families with political connections, have come out to campaign for their kin, who are in the election fray. Many have begun physically campaigning, while others have expressed support through social media, or through electronic means.
Tollywood has had a connect with politics that predates NTR. Kongara Jaggaiah, who played male lead in many Telugu movies, and translated Rabindra Nath Tagore’s works into Telugu, was the first Indian actor to enter the Parliament when he won on a Congress ticket from Ongole in 1967. His co-star in many movies, Jamuna was also a Congress MP in 1989. She was also associated with the BJP briefly during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee era.
Although many Telugu film stars, directors, lyricists and screen writers were connected with politics, with most of them supporting the Congress, the entry of NTR was the seminal point that proved that film actors can not only be successful stars, but also excel in politics.
NTR, among the most talented of south Indian actors who ruled during the three decades beginning the 50s, symbolized the Andhra ethos and pride and his entry into........
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