Rajendra Prasad is an Indian actor, who primarily appears in Telugu films. He is well-known for appearing in critically acclaimed films like Erra Mandaram (1991), Madam (1994), Aa Nalugurum (2004), Onamalu (2013), Srimanthudu (2015), and many more.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Gadde Rajendra Prasad [1]News 18, or G. Rajendra Prasad [2]The Hindu, or Babu Rajendra Prasad Gadde, or Dr Rajendra Prasad [3]Telugu Samayam was born on Thursday, 19 July 1956 (age 66 years; as of 2022) in Nimmakuru, district Krishna, Andhra Pradesh, India. His zodiac sign is Cancer. Rajendra’s hometown is Dondapadu in the Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. He completed a diploma in ceramic engineering [4]Telangana Today. In 1976, Rajendra enrolled himself at the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute in Chennai (earlier known as Madras Film Institute), where he pursued a diploma in acting [5]Greatandhra.
Rajendra Prasad (extreme left) in his young age
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper (semi-bald)
Eye Colour: Black
Reportedly, Rajendra is semi-bald, and he often uses a wig while shooting for films. [6]Deccan Chronicle
Family & Caste
Rajendra Prasad is a Kamma [7]Kammasworld who belongs to a Telugu family. [8]Outlook
Parents & Siblings
Rajendra’s father, Gadde Venkata Narayana, was a teacher. His mother, Manikyamba, passed away when Rajendra was ten years old. He has two sisters, Prasunnaba and Indira.
Wife & Children
Rajendra is married to Vijaya Chamundeswari. Vijaya’s mother, Rama Prabha, adopted Vijaya from her elder sister when she was a year old. Together, the couple has a son, Balaji, and a daughter, Gayathri.
From left- Rajendra Prasad, his son Balaji, his daughter-in-law Siva Shankari, and his wife Vijaya Chamundeswari
Religion/Religious Views
Rajendra Prasad follows Hinduism. [9]Outlook
Career
Being inclined towards acting from a young age, Rajendra shifted to Madras from Andhra Pradesh to pursue a career in acting and explore professional acting opportunities. While searching for employment avenues in Madras, he met with the popular Indian actor N. T. Rama Rao, who was shooting for the Telugu film Tatamma Kala in 1974. Rajendra was advised by N. T. Rama Rao to join an acting school to learn the basic aspects of acting, and consequently, he enrolled himself at the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute in Chennai.
Film
In 1977, Rajendra made his acting debut with the Telugu film Sneham.
Poster of Rajendra Prasad’s debut Telugu film Sneham (1977)
Initially, he played supporting roles in many Telugu comedy films like Moodu Mulla Bandham (1980) as Murali, Manchu Pallaki (1982) as Hari, Kalavari Samsaram (1982) as Rajeev, Ramarajyamlo Bheemaraju (1983) as Satish, Adavalle Aligithe (1983) as Karthik, and many more. In 1983, Rajendra made his Tamil debut with the film Inimai Idho Idho.
Poster of Rajendra Prasad’s debut Tamil film Inimai Idho Idho (1983)
In 1985, he made his debut as a lead actor in the Telugu film Preminchu Pelladu in which he played the role of Rambabu; he was nominated for the Best Actor Award– Telugu at the Filmfare Awards.
Rajendra Prasad (left) as Rambabu in a still from the film Preminchu Pelladu (1985)
In 1986, he became popular with his performance in the film Ladies Tailor in which he played the role of Sundaram.
Rajendra Prasad as Sundaram in a still from the film Ladies Tailor (1986)
In 1987, Rajendra’s performance as Krishna Murthy in the film Aha Naa Pellanta was immensely appreciated by the viewers. Later, he went on to act in several popular Telugu films such as Yerra Mandaram (1991) as Ramudu, Mister Pellam (1993) as Balaji, Aa Naluguru (2004) as Raghuram, Bhagyalakshmi Bumper Draw (2006) as Bullabbai, Mee Sreyobhilashi (2007) as Rajaji, Julai (2012) as Sitaram, Onamalu (2013) as Narayana Rao, Climax (2021) as Vijay Modi, and many more.
Rajendra Prasad as Narayana Rao in a still from the film Onamalu (2013)
In 2021, Rajendra made his digital debut with the Telugu film Senapathi in which he played the role of Krishna Murthy; the film premiered on the streaming platform Aha.
Rajendra Prasad as Krishna Murthy in a still from his digital debut film Senapathi (2021) on Aha
Others
Rajendra lent his voice to a few songs in the Telugu films like “Muddula Kavalaena” from the film Teneteega (1991), “Jim Jim Jatara” from the film Family Circus (2001), “Chinni Krishnudochadu” from the film Ammaye Navvithe (2001), and “Fififee Fifeefee” from the film Gaali Sampath (2021). Apart from acting in the Telugu films Madam (1993) and Rambantu (1996), he also produced these films. In 2000, Rajendra lent his voice to the character Dr Kailash, which was played by Indian actor Jayaram, in the Telugu dubbed version of the Tamil film Thenali. In 2003, he dubbed the character Mangalam, which was played by Indian actor Vivek in the Tamil film Boys in the Telugu language. Additionally, he produced the Kannada film Meese Chiguridaga (2003).
Controversies
Accused of misbehaving with a female co-actor
In 2004, while shooting for the Telugu film Apparao Driving School, Rajendra was accused of behaving inappropriately by the Indian actress Malavika, who primarily appears in Tamil films. Malavika alleged that while enacting a kissing scene, Rajendra kissed her deliberately several times as if they were a real couple. Later, she registered a complaint against him with the Movie Artists Association (MAA). [10]The Times of India In an interview, talking about the unpleasant behaviour received from Rajendra, Malavika said,
I’m old enough to be his daughter. But he was so vulgar.”
Fined for violating traffic rules
On 31 June 2010, Rajendra Prasad was fined Rs 3000 by the traffic police for jumping the red light at Khairatabad in Hyderabad. Additionally, he was fined for using a fancy registration number plate for his car, which didn’t meet the prescribed guidelines of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA). Instead of obeying the traffic rules, Rajendra, on the contrary, argued with the traffic police and said,
Don’t you know that I am an actor? How can you issue a challan and that too with such a high penalty?” [11]The New Indian Express
Accused of seeking sexual favours from actresses
In 2018, Rajendra Prasad was accused by Indian actress Sri Reddy of harassing young female artists sexually on the pretext of a role in a film. She alleged that the Indian actress Malavika left the film industry after Rajendra misbehaved with her. On 3 October 2018, Sri posted on Facebook, where she accused Rajendra of exploiting women sexually and mentally, which read,
Mr.rajendra pichadu, Why u came out from maa association with in 6 months every one knows, Why heroine malavika left the movie industry every one knows..how much u irritate lady artists for the sexual favours every one knows..why your daughter ran away from your house every one knows..why actress hema fought with u??I respect u as a senior actor but not a human being.”
Awards
Nandi Awards
- 1991: Best Actor Award for the film Erra Mandaram
- 1994: Special Jury Award for the film Madam
- 2004: Best Actor Award for the film Aa Naluguru
- 2014: Best Character Actor Award for the film Tommy
South Indian International Movie Awards
- 2013: Best Supporting Actor (Telugu) for the film Julai
- 2016: Best Supporting Actor (Telugu) for the film Srimanthudu
- 2019: Best Supporting Actor (Telugu) for the film Mahanati
Santosham Film Awards
- 2016: Best Supporting Actor for the film Srimanthudu
- 2018: Santosham Akkineni Nageswara Rao Smarakam Award
- 2019: Best Supporting Actor for the film Mahanati
Other Awards
- 2013: Best Outstanding Actor Award for the film Onamalu at the CineMAA Awards
- 2014: Sruthi Laya SwarnaKankana Award by the Sruthilaya Academy for his contribution to the Telugu film industry with over 200 films
- 2018: Lifetime Achievement Award from the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey
Rajendra Prasad posing after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey in 2018
- 2018: Kalanidhi Award by the spiritual figure Ganapathi Sachidananda at Mysore’s Avadhoota Datta Peetham
Rajendra Prasad was felicitated with the Kalanidhi Award by the spiritual figure Ganapathi Sachidananda at Mysore’s Avadhoota Datta Peetham in 2018
- 2018: Padma Mohana Swarna Kamkanam Award in honour of completing 50 years in the film industry
- 2019: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Mahanati at the Zee Telugu Cine Awards
- 2022: OTT Performer of the Year Award for the film Senapathi at the OTTplay Awards
Favourites
- Sport: Cricket
- Colour: White
- Actor: N. T. Rama Rao
- Actress: Savitri Ganesan
- Holiday Destination: Ooty in Tamil Nadu
Facts/Trivia
- Rajendra is fondly called “Charlie Chaplin of Telugu cinema,” “Nata Kireeti” [12]Telangana Today, and “King of Comedy” [13]NDTV by his fans and followers.
- On 13 June 2009, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards festival was held in Macau, China. The organisers of the award show wanted to create awareness regarding global warming, and consequently, they arranged a green carpet to welcome the celebrities instead of a red one. Apparently, any award function uses a red carpet to welcome celebrities but to protest against global warming a green carpet was laid at the IIFA. Rajendra received the honour of walking on the green carpet as a guest as his film Quick Gun Murugun promoted vegetarianism.
- In March 2012, Rajendra was invited by the International School of Film and Media (ISFM) to present certificates to the students of the first batch of the “Intro to Acting for Film, Television, and Theatre (IAFTT)” acting course.
- In December 2012, Rajendra Prasad was felicitated for his contribution to the film industry by the Telugu Kala Samithi in Bahrain.
Rajendra Prasad being felicitated for his contribution to the film industry by the Telugu Kala Samithi in Bahrain
- On 17 April 2015, Rajendra contested the presidential elections of the Movie Artists Association (MAA). He was elected as the President after he defeated his contender, Jayasudha, an Indian actress, by a margin of 85 votes.
Rajendra Prasad celebrating with his supporters after winning the Movie Artists Association (MAA) presidential elections in 2015
- Rajendra Prasad received training in acting from the same institute, which had trained notable alumni like Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi.
- On 30 January 2017, Rajendra was invited to inaugurate a State-level NSS Youth Festival at the Nannaya University in Andhra Pradesh, India.
- In an interview, Rajendra revealed that his own family members cheated him for money and property. He further said,
I have been cheated by many people in my life.. especially in the matter of money. No producer or director cheated me. I was deceived by my own people and blood relatives. All I got was no human beings. Because there are no people.. they have cheated. I have nothing left except a small complex in Bejawada Benz Circle.” [14]Telugu Samayam
- Rajendra is fond of travelling and exploring new places.
- Rajendra’s granddaughter, Sai Tejaswini played the role of young Savitri in the Telugu film Mahanati (2018).
Rajendra Prasad with his granddaughter Sai Tejaswini
- As per some media sources, Rajendra Prasad was against the man, who his daughter Gaithri wanted to marry. Consequently, she left her father’s house and married the person of her choice. In 2018, during a promotional event for the film Bewars, Rajendra talked about his daughter and said,
I have a Daughter named Gayatri. I stopped talking with her as she had gone away after Love Marriage. Upon listening to the song penned by Suddala Ashok Teja in ‘Bewars’, I felt like calling Gayatri to my home and make her listen to the song. ‘Thalli Thalli Na Chitti Thalli…Na Pranale Poyayamma’ Song is so close to my heart. I played this song 4 times repeatedly in the presence of My Daughter. I hadn’t shed tears when My Mom passed away but broke down when My Daughter left Me.”
- As per some media sources, the former Prime Minister of India P. V. Narasimha Rao was fond of Rajendra Prasad’s films. [15]iDream Telugu Movies – YouTube
- The Telugu Alliances of Canada honoured Rajendra with the title “Hasya Kireeti”; the event was held in Mississauga.
