Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju was an Indian actor and politician. He was known for his works in Telugu cinema and was widely known as "Rebel Star" for his rebellious acting style. He was also the winner of the inaugural Nandi Award for Best Actor. Krishnam Raju starred in more than 183 feature films in his career. He made his film debut with the 1966 film Chilaka Gorinka produced and directed by K. Pratyagatma. Krishnam Raju had won five Filmfare Awards South and three state Nandi Awards. Krishnam Raju was also an active politician.

Jeevana Tarangalu is a 1973 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by T. Rama Rao. The film stars Sobhan Babu, Krishnam Raju, Vanisri, Chandramohan, and Lakshmi. It is based on a novel by Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, and won three Filmfare Awards South. It was remade in Tamil as Thirumangalyam (1974), in Hindi in as Dil Aur Deewaar (1978), and in Kannada as Mangalya (1991).