Actor-politician Nandamuri Harikrishna, the son of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP founder NT Rama Rao, passed away on Wednesday morning after he met with an accident on the Annaparthi road near Narketpally in Telangana's Nalgonda district. He was 61.
According to media reports, he was on his way to attend a marriage in Nellore in Andhra Pradesh from Hyderabad, after leaving the city at around 4:30 am, when his car attempted to overtake another vehicle and hit the divider on the highway.
Even as the car hit the divider, it also collided with an oncoming vehicle in the opposite direction, before overturning.
The accident completely smashed the front portion of the car and sent debris flying in all directions.
He suffered serious injuries and was rushed to Kamineni Hospitals, where several cadres of the TDP began to gather after learning about the incident.
A polit bureau member of TDP, NTR’s fourth son, Nandamuri Harikrishna found some success in the film industry as a child artiste in the 1960s and 1970s in films like Shri Krishnavataram and Talla Pellama, and had some film appearances since the 1990s. He also was known to drive NTR's car at one time.
Harikrishna is also the father of popular Telugu film actor Jr NTR. Harikrishna’s other son Kalyan Ram is an actor and producer. Harikrishna’s third son Janakiram was a film producer, but passed away in a road accident in 2014.
The actor-politician is also the brother-in-law of present Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and had supported the latter when an internal coup was staged within the TDP in the 90s. He was also a Minister in Naidu's cabinet and later also served as a Member of Parliament.
Harikrishna's son, Jr NTR, and other members of the family have reached the hospital.
The body is expected to be shifted to the late actor-politician's Hyderabad residence for people to pay their last respects, once the autopsy is completed.