All roads lead to the home of Tollywood’s favourite ‘Annaiah’

Coming from a non-film background, Konidela Siva Sankara Prasad or Chiranjeevi went on to become a definitive part of Telugu filmdom.

Hyderabad: In Telugu land, August 22 is a red-letter day. As Tollywood star Chiranjeevi turns 67 on Monday, all roads lead to his home, and social media is abuzz with birthday wishes from fans, friends, and the who’s who of society.

Amidst all the hype, the man of the day remains a picture of composure and dignity — hallmark characteristics that symbolise his grip on the pulse of Telugu film lovers.

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Coming from a non-film background, Konidela Siva Sankara Prasad or Chiranjeevi went on to become a definitive part of Telugu filmdom.

In a career stretching more than four decades and 150 films, Chiranjeevi has successfully adapted himself to accommodate changing viewer profiles and their preferences. Beginning with supporting roles, he graduated to lead roles that gave him scope to display his fighting and dancing skills to advantage.

Along the way, Chiranjeevi also established his acting credentials by stepping away from the conventional dance-and-fight roles. In movies like ‘Swayamkrushi’, and ‘Aapadbaandhavudu’ he handled deglam roles with elan, carrying the show on his able shoulders.

The high-energy screen presence that Chiranjeevi exudes was in full flow, when he hit the theatres in 2019 with ‘Syra Narasimha Reddy’ a biopic on the valiant native chieftain who dared the British.

Today, the ‘Annaiah’ or ‘Big Brother’ of Tollywood continues to give the younger generation of stars, a run for their money when it comes to the popularity sweepstakes. His last theatrical outing had Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan of ‘RRR’ fame in ‘Acharya’.

Unfazed by the lukewarm reception to the movie at the box office, Chiranjeevi is now working on several projects with the younger lot of directors. With ‘Godfather’ all set to release later this year, and ‘Bholaa Shankar’ due early next year, Chiranjeevi is definitely on a roll.