Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that there’s more responsibility on Nandamuri Balakrishna now as he is now a Padma Bhushan. “Till yesterday, he was a playful Balayya, today he is Padma Bhushan Balayya. The Padma honour is a first in our family. We are proud of him. He has lived up to the name of his father NTR; I’m really proud of him. This is just the beginning. He is unstoppable; this is his first step,” Naidu remarked. He was speaking at a private event organized by his wife Nara Bhuvaneshwari in Hyderabad outskirts over the weekend. The event was convened to felicitate NBK on his Padma honour.
Babu added that Balayya is senior to him with regards to work. “He acted in his first film in 1974, while I became an MLA in 1978. So he’s four years senior to me. NTR has created history because of his perseverance, dedication and discipline. Balayya might across like a playful individual but there’s a lot of depth in him. Sometimes I get astonished to seeing him perform pooja at 3 am in the morning; I told him I can’t do such things; in fact no one can do such things. For two hours he performs pooja with utmost dedication. I applaud the young directors (addressing Gopichand Malineni, Anil Ravipudi and Bobby) here; you are giving a big boost to him every day. In his new films, he is looking younger, energetic and glamorous compared to his previous films,” Babu stated.
He further said Balayya is a humanitarian. “When my mother-in-law passed away due to cancer, my father-in-law suggested we come up with a cancer hospital to serve people. That’s how Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital took shape. After Balayya took it over, it became one of the leading cancer hospitals in the country. It has the best management. Balayya has come to this event by attending a hospital meeting. As an MLA, he’s won his seat thrice. At times, he would say he would be the MLA as long as he is alive. He once said to give the ticket to his wife Vasu. I don’t know whether he said jokingly or whether he wanted to impress Vasu,” Babu noted. “I will take another seat,” Balayya chimed in. “I will not give two seats. One seat for one family,” replied Babu with a smile.
Babu stated that Balayya has rendered best service as an MLA. “He is emotional but at the same time, a good human being. I consider myself lucky to have got such a wonderful brother-in-law,” Babu concluded.
