There can be no doubt that actor Chiranjeevi, fondly called as the Megastar, is indeed one of the biggest identifiers for Telugu cinema in the national and even the international level. But there was a time when he felt the representation of Telugu cinema, and in fact, South cinema itself was abysmal at best. In a conversation with Rajeev Masand for Aha’s special Fireside Chat at their South Indian Film Festival, Chiranjeevi narrated an incident that happened when he was invited to a National level film festival in Goa, and he felt incredibly insulted. 

ALSO READ | Nagarjuna files defamation case against Telangana Congress minister over remarks on Naga Chaitanya-Samantha Ruth Prabhu divorce

“I was at the hi-tea event, and I saw the photos of legendary superstars adorning the walls. There was Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan. From the South, there were photos of legendary Kannada superstar Rajkumar, and Tamil legend MGR. I felt bad that photos of our very own NT Rama Rao garu and Akkineni Nageswara Rao garu, and even Sivaji Ganesan sir weren’t there,” said Chiranjeevi, who questioned the disparity, and the blatant disregard for South cinema in the eyes of the bureaucrats who only considered Hindi cinema as Indian cinema.

“I was furious and insulted. In fact, I did films like Pratibha, Aaj ka Gundaraj, to prove the potential of South cinema,” he added. 

ALSO READ | Chiranjeevi at 69: Five films that showcases the Mega Actor behind the Megastar

Talking about the rise and rise of Telugu cinema, which has truly put Indian cinema on the global map, Chiranjeevi said, “Nowadays, Telugu cinema has risen sky high, and I will attribute it to SS Rajamouli. He has taken over Telugu cinema to the international level. He has brought all films under one roof of Indian cinema.”

The ‘Megastar’ also pointed out that apart from Rajamouli, there were other important filmmakers who opened up the market of the South. “Be it Prashanth Neel (KGF), Sukumar (Pushpa), Rishab Shetty (Kantara), Atlee (Jawan), and Lokesh Kanagaraj (Vikram), they have proved that South films have higher business. That is important.”