Chiranjeevi’s interview in January 2006
The woman in the bright red salwar kameez is swinging. Her mother holds a baby. A young girl carries a box of laddoos and a knife. Another one carries a bouquet of carnations. The usher asks the girl to sit down. She refuses. ?It would be very difficult for me to get up if he appears suddenly.? They have come to celebrate the birthday of the boy with actor Chiranjeevi at the Geeta Arts office in Jubilee Hills.
Outside the glass box, a milling crowd of about 200 young men and women waits patiently for the arrival of the star who defines the ebb and flow of the year for star-struck Andhra Pradesh. As the Land Cruiser glides to a halt, the moments before the door opens appear like a lifetime. One bloke from the back shouts, ?Anna, jeevitham dhanyam aypoyindi (my life is made).?
When Chiranjeevi entered the film world, it was dominated by the likes of NT Rama Rao and Akineni Nageswara Rao. If one was king of mythologicals, the other was the king of drama. It was Chiranjeevi who ushered in breakdance, one-liners, blood-shot eyes and a modern idiom. Credit him also with a formula: Dance + fight + dialogue + dance + dialogue + fight + 2 heroines = Big hit.
Chiranjeevi?s stature is built on the pirouette on the ball of a toe, on the wagging of a finger, on dialogue, on the roar of front-benchers, on the scattered coins and the spray of marigold petals. It is a world which no DVD or home theatre can match. Catch Jai Chiranjeeva one of these days, and you?ll know.
Today, the curly locks with sideburns are gone. In their place is sedate, straight hair, parted off right, covering the forehead. The jowls have more meat. Breaking away from the throng, and inside his cubicle, Chiranjeevi ? in faded black denim, a black shirt with a muted sunflower, a clunky watch and leather flip flops ? takes a walk up and down his eventful career.
Is Chiranjeevi your real name?
No. My parents named me Siva Sankar Vara Prasad but when I was thinking about a moniker for the movie world, I dreamt that an old saintly man was calling out to me: ?Chiranjeevi.? A young girl also called out to me by that name. And my mother okayed it saying it was another name for Anjaneya Swamy. Now, after nearly 20 years, even I have forgotten that I was Siva Sankar Vara Prasad.
If you weren?t a film star…?
I would have been in the Infantry or with the Police. Or maybe in the Excise Department, where my father was. After my degree studies, I even wrote the Andhra Pradesh State Service Commission and ICWAI exams.? (His shy smile spreads to the dimples.) ?Don?t ask about the result.?
Did you have to struggle to make your mark?
There was no struggle at all. Maybe there was some mental struggle but no physical struggle. I didn?t have to beg for roles. I started getting offers while I was in the Film Training Institute in 1977, and by the time the course was over, I was getting offers thanks to my stills. I didn?t have to drag my heels to studios and offices. The gap between movies was never more than 10 days. And I was lucky to be chosen by directors like Kranti, Bapu, Balachander and a host of other brilliant people who made me look inside and helped refine my characterisation. What I didn?t learn at the Institute I learnt under these men.
Of your many movies, do you have a favourite?
I think it is Khaidi (1983). That one gave me stardom. Then there are Challenge and Swayam Krushi, which are my favourites for purely inspirational reasons. I feel good about other movies when they had a purpose and served the society. Tagore made people think. Rudraveena, though not a hit, touched a social conscience.
Next day, 10 a.m. Perched on a ledge in Jubilee Hills is Chiranjeevi?s classy residence. Finding it is no problem. Ask and you shall be guided. The views are magnificent, albeit with concrete sores rising to the sky. Inside the garage is a fleet of machines with ?1? as the fetish figure. A mustard hatchback Toyota Sera dominates the scene. Chiranjeevi looks drowsy, but the eyes sparkle after a moment.
You have acted with some of the most beautiful women in Telugu movies. Did you ever fall in love with them?
You have to love people to act well and emote. A rapport might develop. While dancing, steps-wise, it was great with Rambha. Energy-wise, it was great with Radha. Radhika could bring alive a scene with her playful expressions, and when it came to dance synchronization, few could match Sridevi.
How often do you have to reinvent yourself?
I don?t have to. My fans know me and they don?t expect me to change so much that they cannot recognise me. In each of my movies, they expect good music, a dance step that stands out, a one-liner, an engaging storyline and the reassurance of seeing a Chiranjeevi movie.
How much longer will you continue this? Don?t you feel scared about growing old?
Life is beautiful. Growing old is fun. It is a great feeling when a young baby I cradled in my arms in Pasivadi Pranam acts with me as my sister in Jai Chiranjeeva. I see the joy in the eyes of grandparents when they see the next generation. I am not scared of growing old. I love to see my children (two daughters and a son) sure of step, decisive and at ease with the world.
But you must miss the simple things in life…
I cannot walk into a restaurant and order food as eyes get riveted on me and make me uncomfortable. Anyway, nothing can beat home-cooked food. I tried to watch Master in a theatre to see the DTS effect but there was a lot of disturbance and I had to walk out.
Today, when you watch your earlier movies, do you feel things could have been different?
Some of them have an amateurish feel. But the performances are good. No. I wouldn?t want to change anything. Things change, sensibilities change and movies should reflect the times. And my movies do.
From Star to Saviour
The throng of 200 gains entry into the compound, courtesy their status as blood donors for the Chiranjeevi Blood Bank, one of the largest blood banks in Andhra Pradesh. Chiranjeevi autographs all the donor cards. His personal photographer Tataji sets up the soft focus lights, the stand and the digital camera. One person collects the card, another leads the donor to the actor standing in front of the lights. Then… plonk! The fan falls at the feet of the actor who has to haul him up and make him pose for the photograph. Chiranjeevi devotes nearly 8 hours a week for his charity work, in which he is aided by his sister Dr Madhavi. ?These blood donors give me a high. But I get a greater kick when recipients come up to thank me for saving their lives. That high cannot be matched even by the success of my movies,? says Chiranjeevi.
