- published: 25 Jul 2013
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Telugu (తెలుగు telugu, IPA: [t̪eluɡu]) is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu, and is spoken in the bordering city of Yanam, in the neighboring territory of Pondicherry. According to the 2001 Census of India, Telugu is the language with the third largest number of native speakers in India (74 million), thirteenth in the Ethnologue list of most-spoken languages worldwide, and most spoken Dravidian language. It is one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India and one of the four classical languages.
Telugu was heavily influenced by Sanskrit and Prakrit. Telugu borrowed several features of Sanskrit that have subsequently been lost in Sanskrit's daughter languages such as Hindi and Bengali, especially in the pronunciation of some vowels and consonants.
Telugu is written in a Brahmic alphabet.
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (born Nimmakuru, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh; 28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), popularly known by his initials NTR, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and a politician. He is also called as "Anna Garu"(Elder Brother) by Telugu People.
Rama Rao made his debut as an actor in Mana Desam, a Telugu social film directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949. He first gained popularity in the 1950s when he became well-known for his portrayals of Hindu deities, especially Lord Krishna and Lord Rama, roles which have made him a "messiah of the masses" in Andhra Pradesh.
He later became known for portraying antagonistic characters and cementing leading roles in films. In total he starred in over 320 Telugu films and has become one of the most prominent figures in the history of Telugu cinema. Besides Telugu, he has also acted in a few Tamil and Kannada films. Widely recognised for his mythological characters, of the time, N.T. Rama Rao was one of the leading mythological, method actors of Indian cinema, He was referred to in the media as "Viswa Vikhyatha Nata Sarvabhouma".