Nandamuri Taraka Ratna demise: 9 little-known facts about the actor

Nandamuri Taraka Ratna passed away on February 18 at Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in Bengaluru after battling for life for 23 days. The actor, who was survived by his wife Alekhya Reddy along with his daughters and son was 39 years old. As a token of respect for the late actor, here are some lesser-known facts that you probably didn’t know.

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Taraka Ratna was born on January 8, 1983 in Chennai to Nandamuri Mohanakrishna and Sita. Tarak is the only son of the Mohanakrishna couple. Mohanakrishna, son of the late legendary actor Sr NTR worked as the cinematographer for some of the films produced by NTR. He was very much interested in acting since childhood.

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Tarak Ratna studied up to seventh standard in Chennai and then did his high school education at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. After completing his intermediate education at Vignan College in Guntur, he studied B Tech at Vignan Engineering College, Hyderabad.

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Nandamuri Taraka Ratna is one of the actors who came from the Nandamuri family. He is the grandson of the late legendary actor and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao. He was the cousin of Jr NTR, Kalyan Ram and Lokesh Nara.

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During his days of studying engineering, he made his debut as a hero at the age of 20 with the 2002 film Okato Number Kurradu. Directed by A Kodandarami Reddy, the film stars Rekha as the leading lady. After entering the industry, he signed 9 Telugu films at once and created a record that no one can do. However, out of these nine movies, only five movies have been released. After that, Tarak's career slowed down as his movies turned out to be disasters.

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Taraka Ratna, who stayed away from films for three years after 2006, made his comeback with the 2009 film 'Amaravati' directed by Ravi Babu. For the first time, Tarak essayed the villain in the movie and won Nandi Award for his performance as the baddie. By pushing their boundaries, an actor created a memorable, multi-dimensional performance that could challenge and move audiences. He again essayed the villain in the 2016 film Raja Cheyyi Vesthe, co-starring Nara Rohit.

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Taraka Ratna met Alekhya Reddy during the shooting of 'Daya'. After that, Alekhya Reddy worked as a costume designer for 'Nandeeswarudu'. Both of them reportedly fell in love during the shooting of this movie. As the family did not agree to the marriage, Tarak and Alekhya got married in 2012 in the presence of friends at the Sanghi Temple near Ramoji Film City, a suburb of Hyderabad. Not a single person from the Nandamuri family attended this wedding.

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Taraka Ratna’s marriage was the talk of the town at that time. He fell in love with Alekhya Reddy and got married in 2012. Neither Tarak's parents nor family members like this marriage. It is said that Alekhya Reddy was already married and divorced. Another reason is that they did not agree to them due to inter-caste marriage.

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Though Tarak’s parents were reluctant to accept their marriage, they had been convinced after some time. They changed their mind and blessed their son and daughter-in-law. The couple has two daughters and a son. Alekhya Reddy is a close relative of Rajya Sabha member V. Vijayasai Reddy.

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Taraka Ratna was reportedly keen to contest next year's Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh on a regional party ticket and had joined Lokesh Nara on the first day of padayatra. He travelled all over Andhra Pradesh to gain recognition as a strong leader in the party. He also met the senior political leaders and took their blessings. Fans are in tears over the huge loss of a political leader, who has a lot of future while taking steps politically.

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