Megastar Chiranjeevi, one of the most legendary figures in Indian cinema, is celebrating his 69th birthday today. The actor was born on August 22, 1955, in Mogalthur, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. As wishes keep pouring in from fans, friends and industry colleagues alike, let us delve into some lesser-known facts related to the actor that not everyone might be aware of. Did you know that Chiranjeevi is a screen name the actor adopted before getting into films? It is not his real name. Chiranjeevi was born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad Rao. Before entering into films, he was asked to adapt a screen name. The actor’s family were devout followers of Lord Hanuman and worshipped the deity with a lot of devotion.
As legends say, Lord Hanuman had been bestowed with immortality, which in Sanskrit translates to Chiranjeevi. Hence, the actor’s mother chose the screen name Chiranjeevi for him. Mega Star Chiranjeevi and superstar Rajinikanth have followed similar paths in their cinematic careers, with Rajinikanth being the senior of the two. Both studied at the Madras Film Institute and while Rajinikanth completed his studies in 1973, Chiranjeevi graduated in 1977.
Early on in his career, Chiranjeevi played the role of the antagonist. I Love You is one of the most prominent films in which he was the anti-hero. He also played a villainous role in Idi Katha Kaadu, which had Kamal Haasan in the lead role. Chiranjeevi was also an NCC cadet during his college years and participated in the 1970 Republic Day Parade. Photos of him in his NCC uniform from that time continue to be popular on social media.
Chiranjeevi has also acted in Bollywood films. Chiranjeevi has also made his mark in the movies Pratibandh, Aaj Ka Gunda Raj and The Gentleman. This happened after his Telugu film Gharana Mogudhu became a huge blockbuster and he became the highest paid actor in India. The Week Magazine even carried a photo of him on its cover, calling him ‘Bigger than Bachchan.’
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