Most iconic portrayal of Lord Krishna saw temples built for star; not Nitish Bhardwaj, Akshay Kumar, Sourabh Raaj Jain

The birth anniversary of Lord Krishna is celebrated as Janmashtami by Hindus every year. One of the most revered deities of Hinduism, Lord Krishna has been a popular figure in modern pop culture as well, appearing in countless films, TV shows, and even plays. And while many actors have gone on to become stars solely based on their portrayals of the God, they all fall short of one man, who not just immortalise himself but became a demigod-like figure for the masses.

The most iconic portrayals of Lord Krishna on screen

To Hindi-speaking audiences, the most iconic portrayal of Lord Krishna is not on film but on the small screen in the form of Nitish Bhardwaj in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat. Sourabh Raaj Jain also had a memorable outing as the deity as did Swapnil Joshi. Superstar Akshay Kumar starred as Lord Krishna in Oh My God to critical acclaim. But years before them, one superstar cemented himself in film history with a memorable rendition of Lord Krishna’s visage. That was NT Rama Rao. The actor first played Lord Krishna in Sonta Ooru in 1956 but it wasn’t well received. It was the following year that he won the audiences over with a memorable performance of Krishna in Maya Bazaar. NT Rama Rao went on to play Lord Krishna in 16 more films, making himself synonymous with the role.

How NT Rama Rao attained ‘divine status’

After playing Lord Krishna, NTR also played Lord Rama and Sr Venkateswara in a number of films, making himself synonymous with iconic portrayals of deities. By the early 1960s, his house was in Hyderabad was considered a pilgrimage site with many pilgrims paying obescience there before going to actual shrines. As per reports, in the 70s, temples were also constructed for NTR in his Krishna and Rama avatar, a practice the actor was not too fond of, however. The actor continued playing Lord Krishna till the 80s when he gradually moved away from mythological films. NTR passed away in 1996 at the age of 72, having played more religious icons than any other mainstream Telugu star.

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