Chiranjeevi's journey so far...
Megastar Chiranjeevi (Konidela Shiva Shankara Vara Prasad) was born on August 22, 1955.
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Just two days before his 56th birthday today (August 22), Telugu actor-politician Chiranjeevi joined the Congress in the presence of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.
AICC General Secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad, was also present at the programme in Delhi. -
Chiranjeevi's first big hit as a hero was Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya (1982), opposite Madhavi and directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. The film ran for a record number of days at the time.
Chiranjeevi was lauded for playing the role of a teasing husband and a caring friend with ease.
In the same year, Chiranjeevi won his first Filmfare Award for his role in Subhalekha directed by K. Viswanath. -
1990 was a terrific year for Chiranjeevi, as two of his films soared at the box office.
Kondaveeti Donga, directed by A Kondandarami Reddy, was a massive hit. It was an engaging film which presented a niche topic in a commercial way.
Raja Vikramarka, which starred Raadhika opposite the superstar, was also a huge box-office success. -
Critics stopped writing him off in 1997 when he set the box office on fire with Hitler, which was a smash hit.
Hitler was a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, starring superstar Mammooty. The film was directed by Siddique, who is set to make his Bollywood debut with the Salman Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Bodyguard. -
But eclipsed every achievement of his in 2002 when he starred in Indra.
Indra became the first Telugu film to gross over Rs. 20 crores and had an uninterrupted run of 175 days in over 30 centres.
The film starred Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre opposite Chiranjeevi. -
His last film before retirement was Shankar Dada Zindabad, directed by Prabhu Deva. It received lukewarm reviews and was only a moderate success at the box office.
The film was a remake of the Bollywood smash hit, Lage Raho Munnabhai, which starred Sanjay Dutt in the lead. Devi Sri Prasad, of Ringa Ringa fame, had given the music.
