Chiranjeevi, on a recent episode of Fireside Chat on Aha, shared a deeply personal experience during a film festival in Goa in the ‘90s. The veteran actor spoke about feeling “furious and insulted” when he noticed that only a handful of South Indian actors were acknowledged, while the spotlight was on North Indian stars.

The Acharya actor revealed that, at the time, the Bollywood industry was synonymous with Indian cinema, while the South film industry was often overlooked. He said, “I remember being invited to a film festival in Goa. I sat down for high tea and saw posters of all the famous North Indian actors on display. The only South Indian actors whose posters were put up were Rajkumar, MGR, and two others. I felt so bad because where are NTR, ANR, Sivaji Ganesan?”

Chiranjeevi explained that this lack of representation made him feel as if the South film industry’s potential wasn’t being acknowledged. He shared that he acted in Hindi films like Pratibandh and Aaj Ka Goonda Raaj out of “vengeance” to show that South cinema was a force to be reckoned with. He also praised the current wave of South Indian filmmakers like SS Rajamouli, Prashanth Neel, Sukumar, Rishab Shetty, Atlee, and Lokesh Kanagaraj for putting the industry on the global map. He expressed his pride in seeing South cinema gain the recognition it deserves.

In the same conversation, Chiranjeevi mentioned that while his “heart prefers classy movies,” he often chooses commercial films due to his commitment to producers. Citing Rudraveena as an example, he shared that although it brought him accolades, the film didn’t perform well at the box office. “My job satisfaction cannot be more important than producer revenue,” he admitted.

After a brief hiatus from acting after his 2007 film Shankar Dada Zindabad to pursue politics, Chiranjeevi made a comeback in 2017 with Khaidi No 150. Since then, he has delivered several films, including Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, Acharya, Godfather, Waltair Veerayya and Bholaa Shankar.

 
 
 
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Currently, the actor is busy shooting for his next project Vishwambhara, directed by Vassishta. The film features Trisha, Kunal Kapoor, Meenakshi Chaudhary and Ashika Ranganath in key roles. Shooting began in January this year and the film is set to release on January 10, 2025.

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