CHENNAI: One of the well-known actors in Indian cinema Chiranjeevi has turned 64 today. Born on August 22, 1955, he worked in Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. The actor, who made his debut in 1978 with the film Punadhirallu has worked in cinema for a career spanning over three decades.

He was a part of the 1987 film Swayam Krushi, about a cobbler, was dubbed into Russian and was screened at the Moscow International Film Festival. He won the state Nandi Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film.

Chiranjeevi’s 1992 film Gharana Mogudu, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, is the first Telugu film to gross over Rs 10 crore at the box office.

In 2002, Chiranjeevi was given the Samman Award for the Highest Income Tax Payer for the 1999–2000 assessment year by the Minister of State for Finance.

Not just an actor, Chiranjeevi has also played the role of an antihero in the films I Love You and K. Balachander’s Idi Katha Kaadu, starring Kamal Haasan.

Chiranjeevi co-produced and acted in Rudraveena (1988), which not only won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration but also the Nandi Special Jury Award.

The actor also was also the recipient of a Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for contribution to Telugu cinema in 2016.

His Khaidi No 150 (2017), released 10 years after Shankardada Zindabad (2007), and still went on to become a mega hit, sealing his status as an eternal star of Telugu filmdom.

The star is known for his breakdancing skills and while he has many signature dance moves, his veena step maintains a cult status. The Veena step was first used by the actor in the 2002 film Indra and then a year later in Tagore.

In 2006, Chiranjeevi was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema, and was presented with an honorary doctorate from Andhra University.

A ten-time winner of Filmfare Awards South, he was the first actor from South India to be invited to the Oscars ceremony in 1987.

Notably, he is the father of actor Ram Charan Teja and the uncle of actors Allu Arjun, Allu Sirish, Varun Tej, Niharika and Sai Dharam Tej.

(Agencies)