8 things to know about Nandamuri Harikrishna, who tragically died in a road accident

TDP leader and actor Nandamuri Harikrishna on Wednesday succumbed to his injuries after he met with a road accident a day earlier.

He was on his way to attend a wedding in Nellore when his car hit a divider and flipped, landing on its side. The police believe  was driving at high speed as he wanted to make it to the wedding by 9 am, NDTV reported.

Nandamuri, the son of late Andhra Pradesh leader and former state Chief Minister NT Rama Rao, has had an interesting legacy in the Telugu film industry as well as in his political career.

Here are some things to know about him.

1) He is the fourth son of actor, director, producer, founder of Telugu Desam Party and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh NT Rama Rao. In the 1980s, he famously drove NTR on a campaign tour of the state. He was made state transport minister when NTR became chief minister.

2) From his first marriage, he has two sons, Janaki Ram and Kalyan Ram and a daughter Suhasini. From another woman whom he later married, he has a son, Taraka Ram who was later renamed as NTR Jr by his grandfather, NTR himself.

3) He made his acting debut in 1964 where he played little Krishna in Sri Krishnavataram. He then starred in Talla Pellamma (1970), which was followed by Tatamma Kala (1974), Ram Raheem (1974) and Daana Veera Shura Karna (1977).

4) He took a long gap from acting, and returned to cinema in 1998. His first full-length film was in 1999.

5) His eldest son Janaki Ram had died in a road accident a few years earlier. NTR Jr, too, met with a road accident, but survived that ordeal.

6) In 1996 Assembly polls, he won from Hindupur and was Minister (Road Transport) in Chandrababu Naidu's Cabinet. But in 1999, Harikrishna fell out with Naidu accusing him of diluting NTR ideals and corruption, resigned from the party and floated the Anna Telugu Desam Party. 

7) In the 1999 assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Harikrishna’s Anna Telugu Desam Party contested 191 Assembly and 42 Lok Sabha seats but did not win a single seat, and the party folded. Later, in 2006 he rejoined in TDP.

8)  In 2008, he was a candidate of the Telugu Desam Party for election to Rajya Sabha. Currently he was serving as  TDP Politburo Member.