Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (1923–96) was not just a film star who challenged the mighty Indira Gandhi and knocked out the one-party rule in Andhra Pradesh (AP). Elected thrice as the chief minister of united AP, the actor-politician redefined the political culture in the region and scripted a new political idiom.
His sub-nationalism was constructive, and his identity politics was devoid of parochial undertones. His brand of regionalism celebrated the pluralistic idea of India. A patriot to the core, NTR proudly wore his Teluguness on his saffron sleeve, but without privileging it over other identities.
An outsider to the political establishment, NTR displayed an instinct for political mobilization. The way politics was played in AP underwent a profound change after NTR’s arrival on the scene. Power, in NTR’s case, was truly drawn from the people.
However, his rather dramatic entry into politics, the profound impact he left on the people of AP and the vital role he played in national politics during his relatively short political life have not received deserving recognition. His fight for strengthening the federal character of our Constitution and the emphasis he laid on the welfare role of the governments remain relevant in today’s India when regional aspirations are on the rise, and crony capitalism is in command.
This first comprehensive political biography of NTR is an attempt to provide a 360-degree view of the most charismatic personality that the political churn in the country produced in the second wave of regionalism of the 1980s.
[From the Foreword to Maverick Messiah - A Political Biography of N.T. Rama Rao]