Tollywood actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, who is the son of legendary thespian Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao and also brother-in-law of current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, has been conferred with the coveted Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India ahead of the 76th Republic Day this Sunday.
Balakrishna is one among the 19 receipts of the prestigious award. He is recognised for his distinguished service to the field of art from Andhra Pradesh. He started his acting career at the age of 14 years in 1974 with the film Tatamma Kala and completed five decades as an actor in 2024. He acted in more than 100 films and portrayed numerous memorable roles as an actor. He won the state recognized Nandi Award for his performance in Narasimha Naidu, Simha and Legend.
Throughout his career, Balakrishna experimented with biographical, historical and hagiographical films. He also appeared in socio fantasy and action films and made a mark for himself as an actor. He is the posterboy for mass films in Tollywood and commands a solid fan base in Telugu states.
Balakrishna succeeded in politics as well by winning as an MLA for three consecutive terms from Hindupur constituency. He also runs the Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad.
