Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju (born 20 January 1940) is a former popular Telugu film actor. He was popularly known as 'Rebel Star' for his rebellious acting style.
Krishnam Raju starred in more than 183 Telugu films in his career and was a prominent actor of the 1970s and 1980s in Tollywood. He entered the films in 1966 with Chilaka Gorinka produced and directed by Kotayya Pratyagatma. He won 5 Filmfare Awards including Filmfare Lifetime achievement Award and 2 Nandi Awards.
After late 1990s, he became active in politics. He joined Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha from Kakinada and Narasapur constituencies. He served as a Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs in the Third Vajpayee Ministry from 1999 to 2004. On March 24, 2009 he has joined Praja Rajyam Party founded by Chiranjeevi. In 2009 State Assembly elections he contested for M.P. seat from Rajahmundry and had Murali Mohan as a major opponent who contested on behalf of Telugu Desam Party. Both of them lost election to incumbent M.P. Vundavalli Aruna Kumar of Indian National Congress.
He has a nephew, Prabhas, who is also known as 'Rebel Star' and who is currently one of the most popular actors in Tollywood. Krishnam Raju has planned to launch his dream project "Okka Adugu" with Prabhas as the lead actor . He would be directing the movie.
Krishnam Raju was born in Mogalthur, West Godavari on January 20, 1940 to Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Raju. He had two wives before he married Shyamala Devi in 1996. Film prodecer Suryanarayana Raju is his younger brother and Prabhas is the son of Suryanarayana Raju. He owns Gopi Krishna Movies.
In 2000, Krishnam Raju moved a motion in the Lok Sabha for the introduction of The Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Bill, 2000 with the following statement of objects and reasons, “Article 48 of the Constitution enjoins upon the State to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and in particular to take steps for preserving and improving the breeds and prohibiting the slaughter of cow and its progeny. In view of the consideration that the Cow and its Progeny must be saved to provide milk and milk product, as well as manure, it has become necessary to enforce prohibition of cow slaughter.” When Krishnam Raju moved the motion on 20 April 2000 for leave of the House to introduce the Bill, G. M. Banatwala, raised the issue regarding the legislative competence of Parliament to enact legislation on the subject. Banatwala referred to the opinion given by the then Attorney General, M.C. Setalvad in the Lok Sabha on 1 April 1954 on the issue, to the effect that it was outside the legislative competence of that House to come forward with any Bill concerning organization of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. However, the Chairman of the Lok Sabha in his ruling on the point raised by Banatwala interalia observed that Chair does not decide whether the Bill is constitutionally within the legislative competence of the House or not and further, the House also does not take a decision on the specific question of vires of the Bill. The motion moved by was, therefore, put to the vote of the House and adopted. Accordingly, the Chair permitted introduction of the Bill by Krishnam Raju.
