Tollywood

Born into one of the biggest star families down-south, his passion and love for cinema made him foray into films at a very young age, and his relentless efforts have kept him going despite all the hardships he has faced.On his birthday we bring you a pictorial fact file of his life and career.

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was born on May 20 1983, to politician and actor Nandamuri Harikrishna and Shalini.

He is fondly called Tarak by his family and friends.

Tarak is the grandson of yesteryear Telugu superstar and former Chief Minister of Andhra State, NTR (Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao) and Nandamuri Balakrishna’s nephew.

He did his schooling at Vignan Vidyalayam in Hyderabad.

Tarak who was inspired by his grandfather at a very young age, was inclined to arts. He is a trained Kuchipudi dancer and has performed at a number of stage shows in Andhra.

He started his career as a child artist with Brahmarshi Viswamithrain in 1991.

In 1997, he was fortunate enough to reprise the role his grandfather was famous for - Lord Rama, in Bala Ramayanam.

He forayed back into filmdom with Ninnu Chudalani in 2001, but the film failed to do well at the Box-Office.

In the same year, his film Student No.1 released and did very well putting him in the spotlight.

He went on to do films like Subbu and Aadi, which were mega hits and rocketed his career further. He also won a Nandi Special Jury Award for his performance in Aadhi.

In 2003, his film Naga, despite a lot of controversy, ended up being just an average grosser.

His next release Simhadri went on to become a blockbuster, making him a bankable star in Tollywood.

His career then saw a slump with his 2004 gangster flick, Andhrawala. Tarak’s next release, Samba was an average grosser and did nothing to revive his career.

His next consecutive releases Naa Alludu and Narasimhudu also proved to be dampeners.

Even though his next film, Rakhi got him rave reviews from critics and fans, the film only proved to be an average grosser.

In 2007, he acted in a film inspired by his grandfather's blockbuster Yamagola titled Yamadonga, the film became a sensational hit and brought Tarak back into the limelight.The film fetched him a Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actor.

His next release Kantri helped him showcase his dancing skills, and also did very well at the Box-office.

In 2009, he was one of the campaigners for the Telugu Desam Party in the general elections, during which he met with an accident and suffered brutal injuries.

In 2011, his most hyped film Shakthi released but incurred huge losses to the producers.

That year saw him get engaged to former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu’s niece Narne Mallika’s daughter, Lakshmi Pranathi. The two entered into wed-lock on May 5, 2011.

His second release in 2011, Oosaravelli also bombed at the Box-Office.

His film Dammu directed by Boyapati Seenu received a grand opening at the Box-office and became a success.

His last release Baadshah in which he paired opposite the beautiful Kajal Agarwal opened to positive reviews and became the biggest opening grosser of Jr NTR's career.

The actor is current busy with filming of director Harish Shankar’s Ramayya Vasthavayya and the pre-production of Asal 2.

The actor is currently busy with the pre-production of Baadshah.

He is the Brand Ambassdor for Malabar Gold, Navratna, and Zandu Balm in Andhra.

The star celebrates his 30th birthday today and Team Chakpak wishes him a very happy birthday!