Krishnam Raju and his indomitable Rebel Star image

Rebel Star Krishnam Raju!

The name resounds whenever there is a discussion about commercial mass films in Telugu.

Be it as a strict village head Bobbili Brahmanna or as an innocent 'Bhakta Kannappa,' Krishnam Raju always showed variations in his performance. Having started his career by playing negative roles, Krishnam Raju eventually emerged as one of the successful commercial heroes in the Telugu film industry.

Krishnam Raju shared his screen space with NTR, ANR, Krishna, and other senior heroes. After tasting success as an actor, he established 'Gopi Krishna Pictures' and bankrolled many super hit films.

Krishnam Raju was born on January 20th, 1940, in Mogalthuru of West Godavari district. After completing his education, Krishnam Raju started his career as a journalist.

Krishnam Raju came to Hyderabad with a passion for photography. He set up Royal Studio in Hyderabad. Later, with the encouragement of his friends, Krishnam Raju tested his luck in the film industry. He achieved stardom in less time after his debut.

Krishnam Raju made his debut with Chilaka Gorinka in the year 1966. The film flopped at the box office. He took the film's failure to heart and was determined to bounce back with a blockbuster. He read a lot of books on acting and underwent training under the guidance of actor CH Narayana Rao.

Later, he acted as a villain in Ave Kallu, produced by famous director Doondi. The film resulted in a lot of positive appreciation for the actor. R Nageswara Rao was a popular villain back then, and with his sudden demise, there was a vacuum in the film industry. With Krishnam Raju shining with Ave Kallu, everyone started offering him the villain roles.

Krishnam Raju acted in almost 30 films as a villain after Ave Kallu. He played the antagonist roles in the films headlined by NTR, ANTR, Krishna, Sobhanbabu, and other actors. He then started accepting character artist roles. Bhale Master, Badi Panthulu, Vaade Veedu, Palleturi Chinnodu, Manushullo Devudu, Manchiki Maro Peru, and Sathee Savitri are some of his notable hits.

Budhi Manthudu, Pavitra Bandham, Manchi Rojulu, Matrumurthi, and SP Bhayankar are some of his hit films where he played a villain. He shared the screen space with Krishna in almost 17 films. Bangaru THalli, Danavudu, and Jeevana Tarangalu are films with Sobhan Babu.

Krishnam Raju turned the lead hero again with the film Inti Dongalu. Despite the film being lady-oriented, Krishnam Raju's performance received a positive appreciation from everyone. After that, there was no looking back for the actor, and he earned the tag 'Rebel Star.'

When he witnessed heights as an actor, he turned into a producer. Krishnaveni was the first film produced under his Gopi Krishna Pictures banner, which ran for 100 days in 12 centers.

Bhakta Kannappa is easily one of the best and most successful films in Krishnam Raju's career. The film will always find a place in the all-time super hit films ever made in Telugu. Krishnam Raju acted in the titular role and produced the film. The film ran for more than 25 weeks in all the centers where it was released. Krishnam Raju's performance as the innocent Shaiva devotee made the audiences emotional in theatres. At a later time, many expressed their interest in remaking Bhakta Kannappa, but not one attempted it yet. It is highly impossible to recreate what Krishnam Raju had done. The film created many records at the box office and gave the actor a new image as an actor.

Rebel Star has emerged and is in style. Krishnam Raju's performance in Bobbili Brahmanna was terrific. The film elevated his 'Rebel Star' image. After the success of Bobbili Brahmanna, Krishnam Raju did the historic film Tandra Paparayudu which remained a classic in the actor's career. Bullet, Thrishulam, Bebbulu, Puli Bebbulu, Palnati Brahmanayudu, Viswanatha Nayakudu, Puli Bidda, Ugra Narasimham, Dharmathmudu, and Dharma Teja established the actor as a successful mass hero in Telugu.

In his second innings, Krishnam Raju was very picky, but whatever film he accepted, it only brought him respect. Krishnam Raju acted as Uday Kiran's father in Neeku Nenu Naku Nuvvu (2003). Later, he acted in Raam and Srisailam. It was the 2009 film Billa that satisfied the Rebel Star fans as he shared the screen space with his nephew Prabhas. The film has become a huge hit. To recreate the success, the duo reunited again for the film Rebel (2012), but it did not give a good result at the box office. Yevade Subrahmanyam (2015) showcased a new angle on Krishnam Raju's acting. The same year, he acted in Rudhramadevi as Ganapathi Devudu.

Krishnam Raju's last film was Radhe Shyam, which was released this year. Prabhas played the lead role in the film.

For the film Amara Deepam (1977) and Bobbili Brahmanna (1984), the Andhra Pradesh state government awarded him with Nandi Award. For Jailor Gari Abbayi (1994), he was awarded a Nandi award in the Best Character Artist category. Krishnam Raju received three Filmfare awards for the films Amara Deepam, Bobbili Brahmanna, and Tandra Paparayudu (1986). He also received a Special jury award for Dharmaatmudu (1983). He also received a Filmfare lifetime achievement award in 2006.