Media
NTR not just a legend, but an enigma too
Two bureaucrats publish biography of the legendary actor and TDP founder. He is a mystery yet endearing, an enigma that Telugus still trying to decipher, an actor par excellence that Indian cinema would forever remember, and a legend who will live in the Telugu hearts forever. He is the most talked about and discussed man even two decades after his death; Telugu politics just can’t shift the focus out of him. Capturing such a gigantic personality is inviting trouble, more than presenting him.
Critics will fume and so will the followers, as invariably certain aspects will be left out. Well, N.T. Rama Rao — unarguably the one who gave Telugus their independent identity in the country — is a writer’s delight given the fascinating journey he had from a humble beginning to becoming the most admired actor, to changing the political landscape forever in Telugu States. Any biography on him is sure to elate the fans and also trigger controversies and that too in the present political heat.
A new book NTR, a Biography jointly authored by retired IAS officer K. Lakshminarayana and retired IRS officer K. Chandrahas goes through all those pains but stands out for digging deep into his life from various angles and present some unknown and unwritten aspects of the imposing personality. It captures some of the finest moments of his life to the tragic ones and those that made history in India, and a few that almost pushed him into history. “His life can never be captured in totality. Many may fret with the way some incidents are portrayed but the best answer is to write another one with those details,” says Mr. Chandrahas, who retired as Chief Commissioner of Income Tax adding, “We tried to balance all events including the controversial marriage to Lakshmi Parvati and political storm thereafter.”
The duo struggled for more than two years meeting people of various spheres and reading books and articles related to NTR and adding their commentary to present their understanding. None of NTR’s family members was consulted as they wanted to avoid a perspective. “Views of his family members and political opponents are already in the public domain so we avoided them,” Mr. Chandrahas said. Mr. Lakshminarayana, who had worked closely with NTR as an IAS officer was privy to lots of information, decisions, mood swings and his ‘deep and genuine’ feelings to bring a change in the common man’s life.
The book dwells into some interesting anecdotes that people never had access to. Could we believe that NTR started a Andhra mess in Bombay in the 1930s, and that it was his first entry into Raj Bhavan to witness his son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu’s swearing in ceremony as Congress Minister that sowed the seeds of a desire to become the Chief Minister. Such was his magic that he could even melt the Iron lady Indira Gandhi who ousted him out of power using then AP Governor Ramlal and national newspapers Editors impressed with his ideas suggested to him that New Delhi was the place for him and not Hyderabad. It may be unbelievable but there was a time when NTR had a secret pact with Rajiv Gandhi in a few seats so that senior Congress leaders could be elected easily. The biography will be released by Parliament member Ashok Gajapathi Raju on January 27. The book is published by CLS publishers and priced at ₹ 650.
