His mortal remains were shifted from his residence in Mokilla to the Film Chamber office in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad on Monday morning.
Published Feb 20, 2023 | 7:48 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 20, 2023 | 7:49 PM
Chandrababu Naidu with Junior NTR at the funeral of Taraka Ratna on Monday, 20 February, 2023. (Supplied)
The last rites of Tollywood actor Nandamuri Taraka Ratna, who passed away on Saturday, 18 February, were held amid family members and fans who gathered in large numbers at Maha Prasthanam in the Jubilee Hills area of Hyderabad on Monday evening to bid a final adieu to the departed actor.
His mortal remains were shifted from his residence in Mokilla to the Film Chamber office in Jubilee Hills on Monday morning.
At the film chamber office, his uncle and leading Tollywood actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, aunt and former Union minister Daggubati Purandheswari, cousins Junior NTR, Kalyan Ram, and Balakrishna’s son Mokshagna — who rarely makes public appearances — and other family members paid their last respects to Taraka Ratna.
Other celebrities, including Chiranjeevi and former minister Ganta Srinivas Rao, were among those who paid final tributes to the deceased actor.
Things got especially emotional when Taraka Ratna’s mother Seetha broke down at the sight of her son’s body. His father Nandamuri Mohana Krishna was also seen becoming emotional near the body.
Chandrababu Naidu with Nandamuri Balakrishna at the funeral of Taraka Ratna on Monday, 20 February, 2023. (Supplied)
TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was also present at the funeral, as was YSRCP general secretary and Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy. Taraka Ratna’s wife Alekhya Reddy is Vijaysai Reddy’s niece. He was with Alekhya Reddy since Sunday morning.
Taraka Ratna’s mortal remains were taken to the burial ground in a procession. After performing customary traditions, Taraka Ratna’s father Mohana Krishna lit the funeral pyre.
Taraka Ratna passed away on Saturday, 18 February, after battling for his life for 23 days in a Bengaluru hospital.
The 39-year-old suffered a massive cardiac arrest and collapsed minutes after TDP scion Nara Lokesh — also his cousin — launched his ambitious 4,000-km-long padayatra Yuva Galam, or Voice of Youth, on 27 January at Kuppam in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, the Nara family’s political bastion.
He is survived by his wife, Alekhya Reddy, and two daughters and a son.
Taraka Ratna belonged to the illustrious family of actors and politicians of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and legendary Telugu actor NT Rama Rao, or NTR. He was NTR’s grandson.
Taraka Ratna’s father Nandamuri Mohana Krishna — one of NTR’s five sons — is also connected to Tollywood. He worked in many movies as a cinematographer.
Amidst the emotional scenes at Taraka Ratna’s residence at Mokila on Saturday, political arch-rivals Vijaysai Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu were seen sitting next to each other.
Naidu and Vijaysai Reddy are close relatives of Taraka Ratna and his wife Alekhya Reddy, respectively.
Their conversation, which lasted for almost half an hour, caught the attention of onlookers. After all, they other never seem to miss an opportunity to attack each other.
Vijaysai Reddy especially mocks Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh on Twitter.
His behaviour at Taraka Ratna’s residence elicited praise from none other than YSRCP rebel MP K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju.
“At tragic events or family gatherings, when two persons from different political backgrounds meet, their political agenda should be set aside. Vijayasai Reddy has done that, and I truly commend him for carrying himself in a dignified manner at Taraka Ratna’s demise,” said the Narasapuram MP.
Meanwhile, NTR’s widow Nandamuri Lakshmi Parvathi accused Naidu of using Taraka Ratna’s death for politics.
She told reporters that Taraka Ratna died on the day he collapsed in Kuppam, but Naidu hid the truth as it would adversely affect his son Lokesh’s padayatra.
She added that he did this because otherwise Lokesh would be considered a bad omen as his cousin Taraka Ratna, who participated in the launch of the padayatra, died.
కొడుకు పాదయాత్ర కి మచ్చ రాకుండా ఉండేందుకు మరీ ఇంత నీచ రాజకీయం చేయాలా చంద్రబాబు…?#NaraHanthakuduCBN #TDPYamaGalam pic.twitter.com/nyk7JJXjAU
— YSR Congress Party (@YSRCParty) February 19, 2023
“Doctors declared him dead long ago. Everyone knew this fact when he suffered cardiac arrest. But Naidu and Lokesh hid the fact for their political gain. They must have felt that people would take it as a bad omen,” she said.
“Naidu and Lokesh are the real bad omens. Everyone knows the truth. I feel sorry for Taraka Ratna’s wife and children. I can feel their trauma,” added Lakshmi Parvathi.
