Chiranjeevi Named Indian Film Personality of 2022: The Story of a Real Mega Star
On the heels of his recent honor, here’s a quick look at why people fondly call Chiranjeevi a megastar.
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Popular actor Megastar Chiranjeevi was named the 'Indian Film Personality of 2022,' at the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Sunday. The announcement was made by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur and he will be conferred the lifetime achievement award by the Central government.
On the heels of his recent honor, here’s a quick look at why people fondly call Chiranjeevi a megastar.
Chiranjeevi's Blockbuster Films
Originally named 'Konidela Shivshankar Vara Prasad' by his father, later 'Chiranjeevi' by his mother, and forever 'the megastar' by his fans, the Telugu star made his acting debut with the 1978 superhit flick Punadhirallu.
He has acted in over 150 films and earned wide recognition. Some of his popular films are Swayam Krushi (1987), Aapathbandavudu (1992), Indra (2002),Tagore (2003), Shankar Dada MBBS (2004) and Khaidi No. 150 (2017).In 1988, his film, Rudraveena won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
He ruled the box office during a career spanning over four decades. And he doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. He was recently seen in The Godfather, co-starring Salman Khan and Nayanthara which crossed the Rs 100 crore mark from its worldwide ticket sales within the first five days of its release.
Awards Received By Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi has received nine Filmfare Awards South, a Raghupathi Venkai Award, and three Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Awards.
In 2006, the megastar received the third-highest civilian award in India, the "Padma Bhushan," in recognition of his noteworthy contributions to the cinema industry. The late Indian President Abdul Kalam gave him the coveted honour. He was also bestowed with an honorary doctorate from Andhra University.
Voices For The Recognition of Regional Cinema
Chiranjeevi has always been vocal about the lack of national recognition for south Indian cinema.
During the pre-release event for his film Acharya, he spoke emotionally about the discrimination that southern filmmakers have faced in the past. He mentioned how the Telugu industry specifically has overcome it by making a mark in the national arena with successful pan-Indian films such as Baahubali and RRR that have broken language barriers and made them proud.
On the work front, his upcoming films include Meher Ramesh's Bholaa Shankar, a Telugu remake of Ajith's Tamil blockbuster Vedalam, and Bobby's Waltair Veerayya whose team released the lyric video of the 'Boss Party' song today. The music is composed by Devi Sri Prasad.
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