Veteran actor and South megastar Chiranjeevi requires no introduction. One of the most successful Indian stars, the latter has worked in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada films over the years. Chiranjeevi debuted as an actor with ‘Punadhirallu’ in 1978. He received the ‘Raghupathi Venkaiah’ award, which is the top film honour in Andhra Pradesh. Chiranjeevi also has three Nandi Awards, nine Filmfare Awards South, and a Lifetime Achievement Award as well. The latter was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and received the IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award at the 53rd IFFI.
Born as Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasan Rao on August 22, 1955, in Mogalthur, Andhra Pradesh. The actor has come a long way and thus has created an empire for himself. On his birthday, let’s take a look at some of his most iconic performances over the years.
Indra
The B Gopal directorial was released in 2002 and was an acting drama that became the highest-grossing Telugu film of its time. The film features Chiranjeevi, Sonali Bendre, and Aarthi Agarwal in the lead roles. On the other hand, Mukesh Rishi, Prakash Raj, and Sivaji were in supporting roles. The film won hearts for its powerful dialogues and scenes which created an indelible visual imprint on the spectator and boasted about the prowess of Chiranjeevi.
Gharana Mogudu
Released in 1992, this Telugu romantic drama, was a remake of the 1986 Kannada film ‘Anuraga Aralithustarring.’ The film stars Chiranjeevi and Nagma and was a blockbuster of its time, making him the highest-paid actor in the industry. ‘Gharana Mogudu’ was screened at the 1993 International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section.
Rudraveena
Starring Chiranjeevi and Shobana, the 1988 Telugu film was directed by K Balachander and was loved for its music, and received three National Film Awards. It also won four Nandi Awards, including a Special Jury award for Chiranjeevi.
Vijetha
Released in 1985, the Telugu film directed by A Kodandarami Reddy was produced by Allu Aravind and featured Chiranjeevi, Bhanupriya, and JV Somayajulu. It was a remake of the 1981 Bengali film ‘Saheb’ which had earlier been remade in Hindi as ‘Saaheb’ starring Anil Kapoor. The film was also dubbed in Tamil and it was titled ‘Dharma Prabhu.’
Shankar Dada M.B.B.S
The comedy-drama was a remake of the 2003 Hindi film ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’ and was directed by Jayanth C Paranjee and featured Chiranjeevi, Sonali Bendre, Srikanth, Girish Karnad, and Paresh Rawal. The film was a commercial hit and the audience loved watching the chemistry of Sonali Bendra and Chiranjeevi on-screen.
Chiranjeevi was recently seen in the action-entertainer ‘Bholaa Shankar.’ The film is directed by Meher Ramesh and is a remake of the 2015 Tamil hit film ‘Vedhalam.’ The film also features Keerthy Suresh and Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead roles.