Rama Rao Jr. was born on 20 May 1983 in Hyderabad to Telugu film actor and Politician Nandamuri Harikrishna and Shalini Bhaskar Rao. He is the grandson of Telugu actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao. He did his schooling at Vidyaranya High School, Hyderabad, and completed his Intermediate education at Vignan junior college.
After the success of his debut film Bala Ramayanam, Director Gunasekhar recommended Jr. NTR to Director S. S. Rajamouli to act in his debut Student No. 1, during mid-2000. However, the film went under production quite long. He was later signed by Producer Ramoji Rao, and worked on the romantic drama Ninnu Choodalani making his debut as a full-time hero. By that time, he was only 17 years old. The film created a lot of hype as the grandson of the late NTR was going to debut. Jr. NTR was criticised of being a hero, along with his female co-star. He then started working on his delayed project produced by veteran C. Ashwini Dutt. The film Student No. 1, directed by SS Rajamouli, became a success at the box office.
In 2009, Jr. NTR announced that he intended to donate 20 lakhs to Chief Minister's Relief Fund to take up relief operations for flood victims. During Baadshah audio function in 2013, a fan died due to a heavy stampede, NTR along with Producer Bandla Ganesh donated 5 lakhs to his family. Jr. NTR also promised to take care of his family, due to the fan's sudden demise.
Jr. NTR signed up for the action-comedy Adhurs, in which he played dual roles for the third time after Andhrawala and Naa Alludu, after a one-year-hiatus. Adhurs grossed more than ₹400 million. Adhurs released in early 2010 and managed to gross more than ₹500 million. He then returned to romantic films after a 9-year gap. His second release, the romantic comedy Brindavanam was directed by Vamsi Paidipally and produced by ace Producer Dil Raju, who is known for romantic films. He was paired opposite beauties Kajal Aggarwal and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The film received positive reviews, became a commercial success and emerged to be one of the highest grossers of 2010, beating his uncle's Simha. His position in Tollywood went sky-high due to the consecutive successes. After the big successes of Adurs and Brindavanam,tarak emerged as highest paid actor in south india after Rajinikanth.
He married Narne Lakshmi Pranathi on 5 May 2011 at Hitex Exhibition Center, Madhapur. They have one son, Abhay Ram.
Jr. NTR has worked in 27 films and has won two state nandi awards, one IIFA award,one SIIMA award, two Filmfare Best Telugu Actor Award and four CineMAA Awards. He is also the brand ambassador for several brands. He was ranked 66th in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list in 2012, with an annual income of ₹190 million and 55th in 2016 with an annual income of ₹360 million.
Jr. NTR's next release of 2013 was the revenge drama Ramayya Vasthavayya, directed by Harish Shankar. The film had him pairing opposite Shruti Hassan for the first time and Samantha Ruth Prabhu for the second time. The Times of India described his performance by stating: "The film is packaged entirely around its hero with NTR looking uber cool and as stylish as ever. He got into the skin of the character and has delivered a fantastic performance to shoulder the film. All in all, Ramayya Vasthavayya's first half is a fun-ride as you see NTR in his elements."
In 2014, Jr. NTR announced that he will donate 20 lakhs to CM's Relief Fund to take up relief operations for victims of Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh.
In 2015, he starred in Temper, with Kajal Aggarwal as the female lead, directed by ace Director Puri Jagannadh. It turned out to be a much needed hit for Jr. NTR after a series of debacles and his performance as the corrupted cop Daya, who turns into a doer of good was appreciated by audience and critics alike. GreatAndhra.com described the movie as an out and out emotional movie with a strong message by stating: "While the first half mostly shows how a corrupt Daya is forced to stop and change, it is the second half that really gets the story going. Probably, it is this half that NTR fans will love the most as it has good doses of emotions which are his strong point."
Later in the same year, Jr. NTR starred in the September release Janatha Garage, directed by Koratala Siva, where he was cast alongside the Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. The film also starred Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen in female lead roles. Marathi actor Sachin Khedekar and Unni Mukundan played antagonists in this emotional drama produced by Mythri Movie Makers. It was released on 1 September 2016 along with a Malayalam and received generally favorable reviews. The film registered the highest opening for a Telugu film in 2016, and was the second highest Telugu opening of all time, behind Baahubali: The Beginning. Indian Express gave a negative review stating that "Despite a good message, this Mohanlal and Jr NTR film is a predictable, run-of-the-mill drama that fails to offer anything new." The movie went on to become a huge commercial blockbuster for Jr. NTR after many years and re-established his position as a money spinner at the box office. It collected a lifetime gross of around ₹135 crore (US$21 million) in all versions and became the 3rd highest grosser of Tollywood behind Baahubali: The Beginning and Srimanthudu.
Jr. NTR hosts the Telugu version of the Bigg Boss reality show that is broadcast on Star Maa channel. Jr NTR's entry to the small screen was a huge success and had record breaking ratings for star Maa, making it the number one channel. The first season of the show began airing on Star MAA from 16 July 2017.
He is the brand ambassador for Malabar Gold, Himani Navratna Hair Oil & talc powder, Boro Plus Powder and Zandu Balm in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He is also the brand ambassador of IPL 2018.
