Get To Know Megastar Chiranjeevi:
Chiranjeevi, who was actually named Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad, celebrates his 69th birthday today! He was born in Mogalthur to a father working as a constable.
As a child, the now massive star was always interested in acting and got his big break with ‘Mana Voori Pandavulu’, though his first film was ‘Pranam Khareedu’. He got a proper education in film and acting from Asia’s first-ever film and television training institute, Madras Film Institute.
His mother was the one that actually encouraged Varaprasad, a devotee of lord Hanuman, to take up the screen name ‘Chiranjeevi,’ meaning immortal, a fitting name for his ever-lasting presence in Indian cinema.
The actor, producer, and former politician has built one of the most magnanimous careers spanning over 4 decades, with over 150 movies to his name. The actor created a new era for cinema and is primarily known for his graceful dance moves.
The game-changing actor has also now inspired a family of stars, with his brother Pawan Kalyan, son Ram Charan and nephews Varun Tej, Sai Dharam Tej and Vaishnav Tej all following in his footsteps.
Though we all know his son’s RRR’s victory at the Oscars, did you know Chiranjeevi was the first South Indian actor to be invited to the Oscars award ceremony? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invited him to attend the prestigious function in 1987.
The Mega-Star has quite a decorated film career, with 3 Nandi awards, 9 Filmfare South awards, a Raghupathi Venkaiah Award (Andhra Pradesh state’s highest film award) and even the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema.
Speaking of awards, he was given the Samman Award for being the highest Income Taxpayer for the year 1999–2000.
The actor has shattered several records, such as the ‘first Telugu film to collect over 10 cr’ with his film Gharana Mogudu. The film led to Chiru becoming the highest-paid Indian actor at the time.
He was paid 1.25Cr for his film Aapadbandhavudu, which was an all-time high. The entertainment magazines Filmfare and India Today named him “Bigger than Bachchan”, a reference to Hindi cinema’s Amitabh Bachchan.
On 20 February 1980, Chiranjeevi married Surekha, the daughter of Telugu comic actor Allu Ramalingaiah. They have two daughters, Sushmitha and Sreeja, and a son, Ram Charan, also a lead actor in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi has four siblings Nagendra Babu, Pawan Kalyan, Vijaya Durga and Madhavi Rao.
After a hiatus to focus on his political career the actor made a comeback to films with his ‘Khaidi 150’ marking his 150th film. He also made his mark as a prominent TV figure by hosting the popular gameshow ‘Mee Lo Evaru Koteshwarudu.’
Apart from acting and founding the Praja Rajyam Party, he also started the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT), which includes Chiranjeevi Blood and Eye Banks. It is the state’s largest recipient of blood and eye donations.
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