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Veteran Tollywood actor, ex-Union minister U V Krishnam Raju passes away at 82
Krishnam Raju worked as a journalist for a few days after his graduation and later entered the Telugu film industry in 1966. Initially, he played villainy roles, before turning into a hero
Popular Tollywood actor of yesteryears, former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju died of a brief illness at a private hospital in Hyderabad in the early hours of Sunday, his family members said. He was 82.
He is survived by his wife Shyamala Devi and three daughters – Praseedi, Prakeerthi and Pradeepthi. Popular hero and ‘Baahubali’ fame Prabhas is Raju’s nephew.
Born in a royal family of Vizianagaram kings on January 20, 1940 at Mogalthuru village of Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district, Krishnam Raju worked as a journalist for a few days after his graduation and later entered the Telugu film industry in 1966. Initially, he played villainy roles, before turning into a hero.
Krishnam Raju won several awards including Nandi awards for the best hero from Andhra Pradesh government in 1997 and 1984, the Filmfare award for the best actor in 1986 and Filmfare Life Time Achievement award in 2006.
Krishnam Raju entered politics in 1992 by joining the Congress party and contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Narasapuram parliamentary constituency, but lost the election. In 1998, he joined the BJP and won the Lok Sabha elections from Kakinada with a huge margin of over 1,65,000 votes.
He was in the advisory committees of the Information and Broadcasting and Commerce and Industry ministries during 1998-99. He was re-elected to the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999 and served as a party whip in the Lower House.
He was inducted into the Union council of ministers by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Union minister of state for external affairs in September 2000. Later, he also held portfolios of Union ministry of state for defence and consumer affairs, food and public distribution. In 2000, Krishnam Raju shot into headlines by introducing the Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Bill, 2000.
In 2009, Krishnam Raju joined Praja Rajyam Party floated by actor Chiranjeevi. However, he came out of the party later and returned to the BJP.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao condoled the death of Krishnam Raju and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
