On his 60th birthday, Chiranjeevi talks about his career

The roads leading to Chiranjeevi’s home in Jubilee Hills are lined with posters wishing the megastar a happy birthday. The temporary house in which Chiranjeevi is currently living (his home is undergoing renovation) is decked up with flowers and there’s palpable excitement in the air surrounding his 60th birthday.

And as he walks down the stairs, you realise that though he has stayed away from the silver screen for a while, his star presence hasn’t dimnished. Dressed in a black shirt and a pair of jeans, there’s no way to tell that he’s turning 60.

Plans for the big day
“I think more than me, everyone around me is extremely excited. My fans from four states, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, are getting together for a celebration and I will also be there,” says Chiranjeevi, adding, “Over the years, they have taken over the patent rights to my birthday.”

Ask him about the special bash his son Ram Charan is throwing for him, and he says, “Charan is organising a big party and everything is supposed to be a surprise for me. I have no clue what is going to happen; I just know that I have to be at Park Hyatt for the party. I’m going to be the audience.”

For a man who has achieved it all, stardom in films and success in politics, are there any dreams left unfulfilled? “I’m not an ambitious person. I’m very content and I have no pending dreams. God has given me so much, and if there’s one thing I really want to do, it’s to serve the people.”

The family man
There’s a rule in the house that everyone has to have lunch together. “It’s mandatory. That’s when we get together and talk about everything.”

Chiranjeevi says he is a proud father. “Charan is very mature and I see myself in him. He also gives equal importance to family and as an actor too he does his job well.”

And he can’t stop talking about his granddaughters. “They are so naughty. I spend quite a lot of time with them now. The funniest thing is they didn’t believe I was a star, they thought in our family only Charan was the star, so once Surekha actually showed them my movie clips. And now they think I’m also a star. They recently learnt the song Abbani Teeyani Debba from my film and they keep singing it,” he laughs.

But for his wife Surekha there’s a special mention, “She’s my shock absorber. She takes all the pressures of the family and never let’s it get to me. She keeps me free from all the problems.”

The 150th film
Still searching for the right subject for his 150th film, the actor says hopefully things will fall in place in a month. “It’s going to be a full-fledged entertainer, that’s what my fans want. They want to see me doing those electrifying dances and those dynamic fights,” he laughs and adds, “I didn’t want to experiment and I didn’t want to do a film with a political message.”

So how’s he preparing for those action packed scenes or dances? He says with a smile, “I don’t need to prepare for that. I’m ready for that anytime someone asks me. I’m confident about that.”

Favourite co-star
Having worked in 149 films and with the best in the industry, Chiranjeevi says he’s comfortable with everyone. “Be it Suhasini, Sumalatha, Ramya Krishna or Rambha, I share a great equation with them.

But I think the one actress with whom I share a great chemistry and people always wanted to see us together is Radhika.”

About his co-star in his 150th, he says, “We haven’t finalised it yet. But she will be one of the contemporaries in the industry. I think they are all doing great work, Samantha, Tamannaah, Nayanthara, Anushka, Rakul and Regina.”

On Rajamouli    
With the success of Baahubali, S.S. Rajamouli has become everyone’s favourite and Chiranjeevi agrees. “He has become the face of the industry. Baahubali has brought so much name and fame to our industry. And if given a chance to work with Rajamouli, who would say no? I hope to work with him. You never know, maybe my 151st or 152nd film.”

Fan moments
Chiranjeevi is great friends with Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth. But for him they are “legendary”. “They are a great source of inspiration for me. They are like my guides. Whenever I used to have insecurities, I would think about their story, how they have built a name for themselves and that gives me strength,” he says.

For him, one of the biggest fan moment was when at a felicitation ceremony for being awarded the Padma Bhushan, Amitabh Bachchan said Chiranjeevi was the king of cinema. “I was really overwhelmed.”

The real birthday wish and plan
For Chiranjeevi, there’s one birthday gift that he actually wants. “I was telling Upasana (Ram Charan’s wife) the other day, ‘I don’t want all these gifts that you all are giving me. Instead, give me a grandchild’,” he says. And the reply? “She just blushed.”

While big plans are being made for his birthday, Chiranjeevi says that his real plan was to spend time alone with Surekha. “Every year for my birthday, the two of us usually go somewhere. Last year, we had been to Kathmandu, the year before we were in Delhi. But this year, since the fans were also organising this big event and Charan too has planned a big bash, we decided to stay here.”
 
Family Bonding
Every Sankranti, Chiranjeevi says he plans a special trip for his entire family. “That’s always my initiative. So the whole family, about 60-70 people, get together at my farmhouse in Bengaluru or in Delhi. They are from all age groups, so there are a lot of games, good food, basically a good family bonding time. I always believe holidays strengthen the family bond, away from our daily hectic schedules.”

About his nephews, who are all doing well for themselves, Chiranjeevi says, “They are all so hardworking and career oriented. I probably wouldn't have been happy if they built a name for themselves under the Mega Family tag, but I'm so proud that they have all worked hard and made a name for themselves.”
 
A day in the life of Chiranjeevi
“I usually get up around 6.30 am, exercise for an hour. I have no food preferences as such, but yes I like South Indian food. Then if I have any meetings, I go for that. Now, as Congress is not in power, there’s not a lot of work. Of late, I have been meeting a lot of writers too for the script for my film,” he says.

Tell him that he doesn’t look 60 at all and he says, “I hear that quite often. People ask me what's my secret and I always say, it's my inner personality. I’m a very happy person, always smiling, so that’s my secret.”
 
3 am friends in Tollywood
Over the years, Chiranjeevi has built a great relationship with almost everyone in the industry. But ask him if he has any 3 am friends, he says with a laugh, “I wouldn’t take undue advantage. But yes Nagarjuna, Mohan Babu, Venkatesh, Srikanth, Ravi Teja... they are all great friends.”