Hyderabad: Tollywood actor Nandamuri Taraka Ratna breathed his last on Saturday night at the Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bengaluru, where he was admitted after he collapsed during TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh’s padayatra in Andhra Pradesh’s Kuppam town on January 27. He was 39 years old.
Taraka Ratna is survived by his wife Alekhya Reddy and a daughter. Tarak Ratna was the grandson of TDP founder, veteran actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh NT Rama Rao. He was the cousin of Jr. NTR, Kalyan Ram and Lokesh. The body is likely to be brought to Hyderabad on Saturday night.
The young actor collapsed after suffering a heart attack during Lokesh’s padyatra at Kuppam in Chittoor district. He was immediately taken to a hospital in Kuppam where he was given PCR. His heart had reportedly stopped working.
Hours later, he was shifted to the Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bengaluru, where his condition remains critical. The management of the hospital had brought some experts in cardiology from America.
He was reportedly treated with balloon angioplasty, intra balloon pump and vasoactive support. His condition became extremely critical on Friday and he finally succumbed on Saturday.
Taraka Ratna made his film debut in 2002 with `Okato Number Kurradu` under the direction of K Raghavendra Rao. He worked in about a dozen films and web series. He was reportedly keen on contesting next year’s assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh on a TDP ticket and had joined Lokesh on the first day of the padayatra.
Taraka Ratna’s father Nandamuri Mohan Krishna is a cinematographer in Tollywood and son of NT Rama Rao.