DYK Jr NTR Was A Trained Kuchipudi Dancer Before Becoming Mass Star? Old Clips Go Viral

News18

20-05-2025

Last Updated:
Jr NTR, the "Man of the Masses," owes his stardom to mass roles and exceptional dancing. Trained in Kuchipudi, his skills shone in the Oscar-winning "Naatu Naatu" from RRR.
Did you know Jr NTR could dance like a dream even before he stepped into movies? While most fans know him as the powerhouse performer and 'Man of the Masses," what many don't realise is that Jr NTR has deep classical dance roots. Before he lit up the big screen, Tarak was already setting the stage on fire with Kuchipudi, a classical Indian dance form that he trained in for over a decade.
Long before Jr NTR gave us the global hit, Naatu Naatu, from RRR, he was a young boy in full classical costume, nailing complicated Kuchipudi moves on stage with grace and precision. In fact, some old videos of a teen Tarak performing at events in Guntur and Dallas back in the late '90s are now going viral again.
He finally put a pause on stage performances at 17 to dive into films — and the rest, as they say, is Tollywood history.
In a past interview, Jr NTR shared that it was his mother who first introduced him to Kuchipudi and stood firm against the outdated idea that classical dance is meant only for girls. She encouraged him to pursue his passion without letting stereotypes hold him back.
'My mother has been one of the most influential people in my life. She has always pushed me to learn new things, which in the long run has immensely helped me in my craft. My mom really wanted me to learn classical dance, and therefore I became a classical dancer. As a kid, it was she who inspired me to take up dancing and made me understand that art knows no gender. I performed around the world as a dancer. I was 17 back then when I plunged into acting. Even in the RRR song 'Naatu Naatu', there is extensive dancing, but I really enjoyed it. For me, it's a way to express oneself," he said.
Jr NTR is currently working on War 2 that would mark his Hindi debut. He has also collaborated with KGF director Prashanth Neel.
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