Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, politician and philanthropist known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.[4][5] Chiranjeevi holds the record for the most "Industry Hits" in Telugu cinema, with eight films emerging as the top-grossers of their time—a feat unmatched by any actor in the industry's 100-year history.[6] He is also celebrated as one of the finest dancers in Indian cinema.[7] He has received numerous honours, including the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2024 from the Government of India, as well as the IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award in 2022. His other accolades include the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, three Nandi Awards, and nine Filmfare Awards South, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013, CNN-IBN recognized him as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema".
Chiranjeevi made his acting debut in 1978, initially gaining recognition for his supporting, anti-hero, and antagonist roles. He later transitioned to lead roles with notable success. His breakthrough came with the 1983 film Khaidi, which became the highest-grossing Telugu film at the time and established him as a leading actor in the industry. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Chiranjeevi starred in various "Industry Hits"—highest-grossers of all time—like Pasivadi Pranam (1987), Yamudiki Mogudu (1988), Attaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu (1989), Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990), Gang Leader (1991), and Gharana Mogudu (1992).[6] Notably, Gharana Mogudu was the first South Indian film to earn over ₹10 crore in distributor share,[8] prompting The Week magazine to label him "Bigger than Bachchan" and "the new money machine."[9]
For his role in Aapadbandhavudu (1992), Chiranjeevi was paid ₹1.25 crore, making him the highest-paid actor in India at the time and the first Indian actor to command a ₹1 crore remuneration for a film.[10] During this period, he received widespread critical acclaim for his performances in Swayamkrushi (1987), Rudraveena (1988), and Aapadbandhavudu (1992), showcasing his versatility as an actor who excelled in both commercial blockbusters and critically acclaimed films. Notably, Swayamkrushi was screened at the Moscow International Film Festival, while Rudraveena, which he co-produced, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chiranjeevi continued to dominate the box office with films like Master (1997), and Choodalani Vundi (1998). His 2002 film Indra was the highest-grossing Telugu film for many years, and socially impactful films like Tagore (2003) and Shankar Dada M.B.B.S. (2004) became major blockbusters, further cementing his legacy.
On 2 October 1998, Chiranjeevi established the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust, which operates the largest blood and eye banks in the Telugu states. The trust has restored eyesight to over 9,000 individuals through cornea transplants and provides 70% of collected blood free to the poor.[11] It has received several accolades, including the "Best Voluntary Blood Bank Award" from the Government of Andhra Pradesh for five consecutive years from 2002 to 2006.[12] In 2002, he was honoured with the Samman Award by the Income Tax Department, for being the highest income tax payer in the profession category for the assessment year 1999–2000.[13]
Chiranjeevi was born as Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad Rao on 22 August 1955 in a Telugu family to Konidela Venkata Rao and Anjana Devi in Mogalthur, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.[14] His father Konidela Venkata Rao worked as a constable and was transferred on a regular basis. He spent his childhood in his native village with his grandparents.
Since his family worshipped Anjaneya (Hanuman), a Hindu deity, his mother advised him to take the screen name "Chiranjeevi", meaning "Immortal", a reference to the belief of Hanuman living forever.[22]
Following his last film in the lead role, 2007's Shankar Dada Zindabad, Chiranjeevi did not star in any film for approximately 10 years, during which he embarked on his political career. During these 10 years, his appearances in films were limited to cameo roles. He appeared as himself in two films, starring his son Ram Charan, namely Magadheera (2009) and Bruce Lee: The Fighter (2015). He also narrated Varudu (2010) and Rudhramadevi (2015).
2017–present: Comeback
From 2013 onwards, he was on the lookout for the right script to mark his comeback into cinema, in what would coincidentally happen to be his 150th film as an actor. A year following the release of the highly successful 2014 Tamil film Kaththi, Chiranjeevi chose to remake that film in Telugu as his comeback film. The remake, titled Khaidi No. 150, directed by V. V. Vinayak, was released during the Sankranti holiday in 2017, about six months short of a decade following Shankar Dada Zindabad, to positive reviews. Critics have singled out Chiranjeevi in particular, praising him for both his performance and appearance, especially following a decade of absence from cinema.[46][47] The movie collected ₹41.75 crore on its opening day[48] and grossed ₹164 crore in its lifetime.[49] In 2019, he starred in his first period filmSye Raa Narasimha Reddy based on the life of Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy; it was directed by Surender Reddy. The movie made on a budget more than ₹200–270 crore,[50] grossed more than ₹240 crore (equivalent to ₹337 crore or US$40 million in 2023) in its theatrical run.[51]
Chiranjeevi had two releases in 2022. His first film was Acharya directed by Koratala Siva co-starring Chiranjeevi’s son Ram Charan. His second release was GodFather directed by Mohan Raja. The film had Salman Khan in an extended cameo role and was largely successful. GodFather subsequently released on Netflix.[52]
Chiranjeevi then starred in the 2023 film Waltair Veerayya directed by Bobby Kolli which released during the Sankranti festival. The film also starred Ravi Teja in an important role, reuniting them on screen after 23 years since the 2000 film Annayya. The film met huge commercial success. Waltair Veerayya later released on Netflix for streaming.[53] In the same year, he also appeared in Bhola Shankar, a remake of the 2015 Tamil blockbuster, Vedalam. However, it opened to unanimously negative reviews and was a huge disaster at the box-office.[54]
Chiranjeevi made his debut as a Television host with the fourth season of Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu. The first episode of the fourth season was aired on 13 February 2017 on Star Maa. The game show is a Telugu-language adaptation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.[56]
After the split of the state of Andhra Pradesh leaving the residuary state with huge debt and little revenue in June 2014, most members of the Andhra Pradesh wing of Congress party left in protest.[67] Chiranjeevi, however, remained with Congress and campaigned for it as chairman of Election Campaign Committee for 2014 parliamentary and assembly elections in the residual state of Andhra Pradesh. However, he refrained from contesting in elections.[68] There was also speculation that he did not campaign wholeheartedly due to the one-sided decision taken to split Andhra Pradesh.[69][70][71] His younger brother, Pawan Kalyan, a former Praja Rajyam Party youth wing leader, launched his own political party, Jana Sena Party, and campaigned vigorously against Congress and in favour of Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.[72] Due to the strong anti-Congress sentiment prevailing in Andhra Pradesh, its candidates were defeated in all parliamentary and state assembly seats of Andhra Pradesh.[73][74]
Since the 2014 elections, he has stayed away from active politics and since then, has not attended any meetings of the Congress party, on a regional or national level. His tenure as a Rajya Sabha member ended in April 2018.[75] Although he is currently not active in politics, he was issued with a new All India Congress Committee identity card in 2022 leading to the speculation of his political comeback.[76][77][78]
Humanitarian work
Chiranjeevi established the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT) on 2 October 1998, with the motto that no one should lose their life due to a lack of blood.[79] The trust includes a blood bank and an eye bank and is the largest recipient of blood and eye donations in Andhra Pradesh. As of September 2022, CCT has collected over 930,000 units of blood, with 70% of it provided to the poor free of charge.[11][80] It has restored eyesight to over 9,060 individuals through 4,580 cornea transplants, and more than 350,000 people have pledged their eyes to CCT.[81][82] The trust has received several accolades, including the "Best Voluntary Blood Bank Award" from the Andhra Pradesh State Government for five consecutive years from 2002 to 2006.[12][83][84] On 10 June 2006, the then President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, inaugurated the Chiranjeevi Charitable Foundation (CCF) at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.[85] Chiranjeevi has supported the trust's activities through his earnings, including those from television commercials and promotions.[86]
After Chiranjeevi's entry into politics, actor couple Rajasekhar and Jeevitha made allegations against the Chiranjeevi Blood Bank, accusing it of engaging in financial irregularities.[87][88] In response, the Andhra Pradesh state government formed a high-level committee to investigate the claims.[89] The committee, guided by the project director of the AP State AIDS Control Society and composed of experts from finance and technical fields, thoroughly examined records related to blood collection and disposal, blood grouping, screening, sterilization, medical waste management, conducted camps, blood expiry, quality control, storage facilities, and equipment purchases. Following the investigation, the blood bank was cleared of any wrongdoing. Authorities confirmed that the blood bank operates in full compliance with the guidelines set by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).[90] In 2023, a Nampally court sentenced Rajasekhar and Jeevitha to one year in jail and imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh for their defamatory remarks against the blood bank. The couple, however, obtained bail.[91]
In May 2021, Chiranjeevi set up oxygen banks and ambulances[92] across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to meet the needs of patients affected by COVID-19.[93]
^"Chiranjeevi awarded Padma Vibushan". India Today. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024. In a career spanning over four decades, Chiranjeevi is regarded as one of the most successful actors in Indian cinema.
^ ab"28 Years for Gharana Mogudu: 4 fascinating things about the Chiranjeevi starrer". The Times of India. 10 April 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Gharana Mogudu was a commercial success, and it went on to become the first South Indian film to collect over Rs 10 crore share at the box office. Chiranjeevi is probably the first hero in the history of Indian cinema to take Rs 1 crore remuneration for a film.
^"A crore and more: Chiranjeevi, the new money machine of the movie world". The Week. 13 September 1992. pp. 28, 29. If his popularity is astounding, the price he commands would make heads spin: the megastar has crashed through the one-crore barrier. While Amitabh Bachchan, who had Hindi filmdom at his feet for a decade, is paid Rs. 75 lakh for doing a film, Chiranjeevi gets almost double: a mind-boggling Rs. 1.25 crore. The only one who comes anywhere near the magic mark is Rajnikant, the Tamil superstar, who makes Rs. 1 crore.
"A crore and more: Chiranjeevi, the new money machine of the movie world". The Week. 13 September 1992. pp. 28, 29. If his popularity is astounding, the price he commands would make heads spin: the megastar has crashed through the one-crore barrier. While Amitabh Bachchan, who had Hindi filmdom at his feet for a decade, is paid Rs. 75 lakh for doing a film, Chiranjeevi gets almost double: a mind-boggling Rs. 1.25 crore. The only one who comes anywhere near the magic mark is Rajnikant, the Tamil superstar, who makes Rs. 1 crore.
"28 Years for Gharana Mogudu: 4 fascinating things about the Chiranjeevi starrer". The Times of India. 10 April 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Gharana Mogudu was a commercial success, and it went on to become the first South Indian film to collect over Rs 10 crore share at the box office. Chiranjeevi is probably the first hero in the history of Indian cinema to take Rs 1crore remuneration for a film.
^ abSekhar, Vineela (26 January 2024). "Megastar Chiranjeevi honoured with Padma Vibhushan". The Hans India. Retrieved 22 August 2024. Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT) was founded on 2nd October 1998, the two major wings being the blood and eye banks. The Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Trust has collected over 9,30,000 units of blood over the years, and 79% of these blood units were given to the poor and oppressed free of cost. The remaining units were given to corporate hospitals at a nominal fee. The trust also collected 4,580 pairs of eyes, and 9,060 blind people benefited through a cornea transplant.
^"International Film Festival of India 1993"(PDF). The Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 10–20 January 1993. Archived from the original(PDF) on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
^"Did actor Chiranjeevi sell off his fans' blood?". Rediff. 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. The allegations of "selling off blood" have been made against Chiranjeevi ever since he made his entry into politics.
^"Filmfare - Print Edition". downloads.movies.indiatimes.com. June 2000. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2017. Amitabh Bachchan presents Chiranjeevi his Best Actor Award for Sneham Kosam (Telugu)
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