‘Swayamkrushi’ takes him to ‘mega’ heights: Chiranjeevi is honoured with Padma Vibhushan

It’s a proud moment for actor Chiranjeevi and the people of Andhra Pradesh, particularly his fans, as he has been honoured with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award. For the actor, who has several awards, including Padma Bhushan to his kitty, this is another feather in his cap. Born on August 22, 1955, Chiranjeevi (Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad), has played a significant role as an actor, producer, and politician contributing a lot to the growth of the cinema. Besides, the actor, through his Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust, showed the way in blood donation. People in thousands have benefited from the trust.

Making his debut as an actor in 1978, he shined like a star in the cine field endearing himself to the audience. Though he made his appearance for the first time before the arc lights for the film Punadirallu, the movie that was released first was Pranam Khareedu. Fondly called Mega Star by his fans, the actor got recognition for his show in the film Swayamkrushi which was released in 1987. He received his first Nandi award for his performance.

It was Khaidi, released in 1984, that took him to the dizzy heights and he never looked back after the movie’s runaway success. Later, with a stream of successes, the hero ruled the roost at the box office as his flicks minted money for makers making record collections. To test political waters, the actor turned into a politician floating Praja Rajyam in 2008 and fielded candidates in the elections held in 2009. However, the party did not fare well and bagged only 18 seats out of 294 in the Legislative Assembly. Of the two seats he contested, the actor-turned-politician lost Palakollu in West Godavari, while winning the Tirupati seat.

With the party’s poor show in the polls, he later merged it with the Congress which accommodated him in the Rajya Sabha. He served as the Minister of Tourism during the period between 2012 and 2014. After a break for a couple of years, the actor was back with a bang with Khaidi No. 150 in 2017. Now, the actor is on the set for his 156th venture Vishwabhara. In over four decades, Chiranjeevi has donned a variety of roles winning accolades from the audience.

While continuing as an actor, Chiranjeevi, with the aim of serving the poor, launched Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust. The trust, which has blood and eye banks, is the largest recipient of donations in the State. The Padma Vibhushan award announced for Chiranjeevi on this Republic Day, shines like a jewel in his crown.

This article is written by senior journalist Lakkoju Nagesh Babu

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