Given that it’s Telugu actor, Chiranjeevi’s 67th birthday today, I have decided to pen a sweet, little tidbit from my mother’s past.
My amma was a MEGA fan of the “megastar”, Chiranjeevi, during her high school days, so much so that she would watch ALL his movies first day, first show.
For the unaware, every Tollywood hero is adoringly given a title by his fans and Chiranjeevi’s title (megastar) aptly conveys the magnitude of his stardom and fanbase.
Side note: his nephew and “stylish star,” Allu Arjun is my favourite (guilty pleasure) now. I remember watching his film “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” at 6:30 a.m. in the morning, with my best friend from school, who also happens to be from Andhra Pradesh. I guess some things do run in the family! *thaggede le*
Coming back to the story, one fine day, amma decides to pen Chiranjeevi a fan letter. She praises his movies and (dance) moves, while also writing about some of his performances she didn’t enjoy so much. She ends the letter by saying the bell declaring the end of lunch period was rung in school, so she has to go.
Cut to: many months later, my grandfather receives a letter at work. Upon opening the envelope, some headshots of Chiranjeevi tumble out. Curious, my thatha garu (grandfather) begins reading the letter. It is addressed to his youngest daughter, Ramani.
Turns out, Chiranjeevi had actually read my amma’s fan mail and took out the time to respond. He thanked her for her kind words, but also acknowledged her criticism. He told her he was a director’s actor so he generally followed their vision when performing in front of the camera.
What’s more, the megastar obliged his young fan’s request to send her some photos of him. I present to you, exhibit A:
Oh, he also ended the letter by saying that he was on set and his next shot was ready, so he has to go. Don’t you love a good callback? I know I do. What a legend!
P.s. we still have the letter, too. Of course, it’s all written in Telugu. Want to see it anyway? Here you go, exhibit B:
