12 Famous Telugu Film Personalities Who Became Members of Parliament

Born in 1940 at Chataparru, AP, Murali Mohan is a Telugu film actor and producer, who made his acting debut in Telugu cinema in the 1973 film ‘Jagame Maya’. Since then he has delivered many hits and been associated with all the top names in the film industry. Coming to Murali Mohan's political career, he joined the Telugu Desam Party and contested the 15th Lok Sabha elections in 2009 from Rajahmundry constituency of Andhra Pradesh, which he eventually lost only to bounce back to win the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as an MP for the same constituency.

Megastar Chiranjeevi is considered the face of Telugu cinema who started his acting career in 1978 with the film ‘Punadhirallu’ but however, ‘Pranam Khareedu’ was released earlier at the box office. Since then he has produced many films and acted in over 150 films including other languages. This famous actor turned politician by forming the Praja Rajyam Party in 2008 and became a member of the State Assembly from the Tirupati constituency in 2009. He merged his Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress later for which he was given the Rajya Sabha seat in 2012 and was sworn in as the Union Minister of State (Independent charge), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Naramalli Sivaprasad is a well known Telugu film actor and director who has been associated with many hits. On the behest of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, he joined the party and since then been an active member. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Chittoor constituency in Andhra Pradesh in 2009.

Writer, actor, producer and director, Dasari Narayan Rao is a man for all seasons. He has been credited for directing a record number of more than 150 films and writing over 250 films, respectively in his four decade long film career. He has been in active politics since the Rajiv Gandhi era and continues to be an avid follower of the Congress party. He was elected Rajya Sabha member for the Congress in 2000 and later served as a Minister with the Ministry of coal.

Known as the doyen of Telugu cinema, Dr. Daggubati Ramanaidu needs no introduction when it comes to producing films. A recipient of the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award, he has the distinction of producing more than 150 films in 13 Indian languages and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. He has served as a Lok Sabha member in the parliament for the Bapatala constituency of Guntur District from 1999 to 2004.

Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju was born in 1940 in Mogalthur, West Godavari and began his film career in 1966 with the film ‘Chilaka Gorinka’. He had acted in over 180 movies before joining the Congress in 1992. He quit Congress and joined the BJP and won the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. In the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, the yesteryear's actor, Krishnam Raju served as Union Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food onwards and Public Distribution at different points of time from 2000 to 2002.

Sharada was born in 1945 in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh and is a three-time National Award winning actress who has acted in all south Indian language films. She started her acting career in 1959 and is a recipient of many national and state awards. This famous actress joined the Telugu Desam Party and was elected as a Lok Sabha Member of the Parliament from her native town of Tenali in 1996.

Jaya Prada started her film career in Telugu films with a three-minute dance number in the film ‘Bhoomi Kosam’ (1974) but it was in 1976 when she achieved instant stardom with ‘Anthuleni Katha’ & ‘Siri Siri Muvva’. She went on to do a lot Hindi films with top heroes too but moved on to politics on the instance of the late TDP chief NT Rama Rao in 1994. Since then this actress turned politician has actively participated in many political campaigns and parliamentary tenures. She was a part of the Samajwadi Party before floating her own political party – Rashtriya Lok Manch in 2011 and later joining Rashtriya Lok Dal in 2014.

Another veteran actor, director and producer from the Telugu film industry who started his cine career in 1960 with the film ‘Apoorva Sahasra Siraccheda Chintamani’. A career spread over five decades, he has acted in more than 250 films and was a close associate of the late chief minister NT Ramarao on whose instance he joined the TDP and later went on to win the Lok Sabha elections from Machilipatnam constituency in 1996.

Mohan Babu Manchu is a veteran Telugu actor, director and producer who turned politician by joining the TDP in 1982 and as a reward received a nomination for Rajya Sabha representing Andhra Pradesh in the year 1995. He served as a Member of Parliament for six-years before leaving the TDP but continues to actively participate in the rural development programs of AP.

Superstar Krishna was born in 1942 and is famous Telugu actor, director and producer who has acted in over 350 films, so far. A career spanning over five decades, the actor turned politician by joining the Congress in 1989 when he was still at his peak and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Eluru constituency in 1989.

Born in 1937, Rao Gopal Rao was a famous character actor and producer in Telugu films who started his film career in 1966. He joined the Telugu Desam Party in 1982 and was appointed to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council in 1984-85 by the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao. He later went on to become a Rajya Sabha member from 1986 to 1992. He died in 1994 at the age of 57.