Among all the biographical characters portrayed by Nandamuri Balakrishna on screen, the one that garnered him maximum praise is Lord Rama in the 2011 film Sri Rama Rajyam.
Based on the life of the 2nd century AD king Gautamiputra Satakarni from the Satavahana dynasty, the 2017 release Gautamiputra Satakarni is a special film in Balakrishna’s career as it marks his 100th appearance on the big screen.
In the 2010 film Simha, Nandamuri Balakrishna essays two roles – as a college lecturer and as his father, a torch-bearer of justice in his village. The son takes revenge for killing his father in this violence-laden film.
Released in 2014, Legend features Nandamuri in dual roles as the two brothers – Jaidev aka Legend, and Krishna. The actioner also stars two leading ladies from Bollywood – Sonal Chauhan and Radhika Apte - in pivotal roles.
It was in 1991 when India’s first film (arguably) based on time travel was released - Aditya 369. It featured the superstar in dual roles – Krishna Devaraya, one of the greatest rulers of Southern India, and the protagonist Krishna Kumar.
Nandamuri Balakrishna, fondly known as Balayya, will be seen next in an action-packed drama Bhagavanth Kesari, which releases in cinemas on October 19. It will clash at the box office with Thalapathy Vijay's Leo.
Bhagavanth Kesari will be Balayya's second release of the year after Veera Simha Reddy hit theatres on January 12. The film took a huge opening of Rs 54 crore and went on to earn Rs 134 crore gross worldwide.