Nandamuri Harikrishna, NTR's Son and TDP Leader, Dies in Road Accident; He Was Not Wearing Seat Belt

Hyderabad: Actor-turned-TDP leader and former chief minister NT Rama Rao’s son Nandamuri Harikrishna passed away early on Wednesday following an accident on the Narketpally-Addanki highway in Nalgonda district.

Harikrishna was on his way to Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh to attend the wedding of a fan when the car which he was himself driving crashed into a road median on Nalgonda Highway. Officials said that as the car hit the median at a high-speed, Harikrishna was thrown out of the driver’s seat and fell on the road and received serious head injuries.

He was apparently driving at a high speed and not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, a senior police official said.

"Had he used a seat belt, probably the impact would have been less and he could have survived. According to the other passengers in the car, he did not wear a seat belt and was also driving at high speed," the official said.

He was rushed to the Kamineni Hospital where he was declared dead at 7:30 am. In December 2014, Harikrishna’s son Janakiram also died in an accident near Nalgonda, not far from where Harikrishna met with the accident on Wednesday morning. Doctors at Kamineni said that Harikrishna was brought with serious head injuries and the bleeding could not be stopped and he passed away at 7:30 am.

A purported video from the accident site shows Harikrishan lying unconscious on the road. He is survived by his wife, daughter Sushasini and sons Kalyan Ram and Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, both actors.

Harikrishna was best known for his performances as a child artist in the Telugu cinema in the sixties.

He made his acting debut with Sri Krishnavataram in 1964 and gave box office hits such as Laahiri Laahiri Laahirilo (2002) and Seetayya (2003). ​

Harikrishna was the brother-in-law of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. His son NT Rama Rao Junior is a popular actor in Telugu cinema.

Harikrishna was the fourth son of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP founder NTR.

(With agency inputs)