Chiranjeevi, the mega super star of the Telugu film
Industry aka Tollywood, was born on 22 Aug 1955 in Narsapur, a small
village in West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. Born as Konidela
Siva Shankara Vara Prasad, eldest of five siblings to Venkat Rao and
Anjana Devi, Chiru has two sisters and two brothers- Nagendra Babu a
film producer, and youngest brother Pawan Kalyan an actor like himself.
Chiranjeevi completed his graduation from Y.N. College
in Narsapuram and joined Madras Film Institute in Chennai for a Diploma
in Acting. While studying he received a chance to act in the Telugu
film 'Punaadi Rallu' directed by Raj Kumar, but his debut film release
was ' Pranam Kareedu' in 1978. Subsequently, director Bapu signed him
for 'Manavoori Pandavulu', which ran for 100 days and his portrayal
of the character Parthu in the movie gained him some recognition. After
this film, he played a lot of minor and negative characters in films
such as 'Punaadi Rallu' (1979), 'Mosagadu' (1980), '47 Rojulu' (1981)
etc. It was his acclaimed role in 'Initilo Ramayya Vidhilo Krishnayya'
(1981) his first diamond jubilee film, and his role in 'Khaidi' (1983)
which cemented his success in the industry. Since then there was no
looking back for him. His swift dance movements and risky hair raising
fights evoked immense response from the spectators. Most of his memorable
characters are that of tough guys. At a later stage in his career, he
has also done some films with social messages like 'Indra' (2002) and
'Tagore' (2003). Throughout his career he has been through a lot of
ups and downs but each time he came back with extra perseverance.
Chiranjeevi married Surekha, the daughter of veteran actor Sri Allu
Ramalingaiah in 1980, and the couple is blessed with 2 daughters, Susmitha
Vandana and Srija and a son, Ram Charan Teja. Chiru is a great believer
of God, especially Hanuman.
Chiru didn’t limit himself to Telugu movies. He proved his mettle in
Bollywood with the film 'Prathibandh' (1990), a runaway success with
Juhi Chawla, 'Aaj ka Goondaraj' (1992), 'The Gentleman' (1994), a remake
of the original in Tamil and few other flicks which did not make much
ripple at the box office. Many of his films were dubbed to other languages
especially Tamil, in the 80's beginning with 'Aarani Mantalu' and released
simultaneously in both the states.
Chiranjeevi takes an active part in charity and social service fields.
In October 1998, he founded the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT),
which comprises of Chiranjeevi Blood and Eye Banks. It is the state's
largest recipient of Blood and Eye Donations. In 2006, he also founded
the Chiranjeevi Charitable Foundation (CCF) which was inaugurated by
the then President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam.
He has won several awards and recognitions for his contribution to the
Telugu Telugu film Industry. He has won over 10 Filmfare awards for
his portrayals and A P Govt Nandi Awards for Swayankrushi (1987) and
Apatbandhavudu (1992). His film 'Rudraveena' directed by K.Balachander,
bagged the 'Nargis Dutt' award in the national arena. In January 2006,
he was honored with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award
in India. In November 2006, Chiranjeevi was awarded with a honorary
doctorate by Andhra University for his services to the Telugu film industry.
His son Ram Charan Tej debuted into Telugu movies with the film 'Chirutha'.
The veteran with his career spanning over three decades and over 150
films, is still a name to reckon with, in Telugu films. For his fans
he is 'Chiranjeevi'.. forever alive in their hearts.
