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Actor Krishnam Raju was born on January 20, 1940, in Mogalturu, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. His full name is Uppalapati China Venkata Krishnam Raju. He studied till eighth class in Mogalturu Board High School, Narsapur. Being a Kshatriya family, he was treated like a prince from a royal family in the school. After that, he joined Badruka College Of Commerce & Arts, Hyderabad for his B. Com degree. When it comes to self-made stars in Tollywood, we can quote the example of Krishnam Raju. Let’s take out some time to appreciate the self-made star.

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While studying, Krishnam Raju worked as a journalist in a daily newspaper called 'Andhra Ratna', which was run by his relatives. On the other hand, with a passion for photography, he also ran a photo studio named 'Royal Studio' in Abids. Along with still photography, he also shot documentaries and ad films. His interest in movies started in his high school days, which increased further during his college days. That is what made him take steps toward movies.

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Krishnam Raju, who has been known as a great actor in the film industry for five and a half decades, has impressed in all kinds of roles. Films like 'Bhakta Kannappa', 'Tandra Paparayudu', 'Bobbili Brahmana', 'Raaraju', 'Trishulam', 'Rangoon Rowdy', 'Mana Uri Pandavulu', 'Katakatala Rudrayya', 'Palnati Paurusham' brought him a good reputation as an actor. He starred in social and mythological films as well as folk dramas. 'Katakatala Rudrayya' brought him the image of a rebel star.

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After the nineties, Krishnam Raju turned from hero to character artist. He has appeared in 'Bava Bava Maridi', 'Jailer Gari Boy', 'Gang Master', 'Palnati Paurusham', 'Naidu Gari Family', 'Ma Nannyku Pelli', 'Sultan', 'Billa', 'Rebel' and 'Evade Subrahmanyam'. He shared the screen space with other heroes in about 40 movies. That is why Krishnam Raju is a self-made star who started his career as a hero, turned into a villain and then turned himself into a star again.

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Despite some rejections, he was introduced as a hero in K Pratyagatma’s 1966 film 'Chilaka Gorinka'. But as the movie was not successful, he turned into a villain. He put a full stop to the stereotyped villainy and has impressed as a polished villain. He showed heroism in villainy and became a trendsetter as an actor. He turned into a second hero with the film 'Inti Dongalu' after nearly thirty films as a villain. After starring in sixty films, he founded his own banner as a producer with his sixty-first film.

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Krishnam Raju, who ruled the Telugu film industry for several decades, appeared in a total of more than 187 films. Some of those films won him awards. In 1977, he received the President's Award for his performance in the film 'Amaradeepam'. In 1978, he won the President's Award once again for 'Manavoori Pandavulu'. He received two Nandi Awards for Best Actor for 'Amardeepam' and 'Bobbili Brahmana'. He also received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 2014.

Pics: Megastar Chiranjeevi pays tribute to Krishnam Raju on the sets of 'Mega 154'

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