Chiranjeevi | |
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Chiranjeevi in 2012
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MP of Rajya Sabha for Andhra Pradesh | |
Assumed office 3 April 2012 |
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Minister of Tourism (Independent Charge) | |
In office 28 October 2012 – 15 May 2014 |
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Preceded by | Subodh Kant Sahay |
Succeeded by | Shripad Yasso Naik |
Member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for Tirupati | |
In office 2009–2012 |
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Preceded by | M. Venkataramana |
Succeeded by | M. Venkataramana |
Personal details | |
Born |
Mogalthur, West Godavari district, Andhra State, India (now in Andhra Pradesh, India) |
22 August 1955
Nationality | India |
Political party | Indian National Congress (2011—present) |
Other political affiliations |
Praja Rajyam Party (2008—2011) Founder |
Spouse(s) | Surekha Konidela (m. 1980) |
Children |
Ram Charan Srija Susmitha |
Relatives |
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Residence |
Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana, India (Permanent) New Delhi, Delhi, India (Official) |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Film Actor, Politician |
Awards | Padma Bhushan (2006) |
Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad (born 22 August 1955), better known by his stage name Chiranjeevi, is an Indian film actor, dancer, producer, singer, voice artist, TV host, politician, businessman, investor and a member of the Indian National Congress. He was the Minister of State with independent charge for the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Prior to politics, Chiranjeevi has attended the Madras Film Institute, and had worked primarily in Telugu cinema, in addition to Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. He made his acting debut in 1978, with the film Punadhirallu. However, Pranam Khareedu was released earlier at the box office. Known for his break dancing skills, Chiranjeevi starred in 150 feature films in a variety of roles. In 1987, he was starred in Swayam Krushi, which was dubbed into Russian, and was screened at the Moscow International Film Festival. In the same year, Chiranjeevi was one of the Indian delegates at the 59th Academy Awards. In 1988, he co-produced Rudraveena, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
Chiranjeevi's 1992 film Gharana Mogudu, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, is the first Telugu film to gross over ₹ 10 crore at the box office, the film was screened at the 1993 International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section. The film made Chiranjeevi the highest paid actor in India at the time, catapulting him to the cover pages of noted national weekly magazines in India. The entertainment magazines Filmfare and India Today named him "Bigger than Bachchan", a reference to Bollywood's Amitabh Bachchan. News magazine The Week hailed him as "The new money machine". He was paid a remuneration of ₹1.25 crores for the 1992 film Aapadbandhavudu. In 2002, Chiranjeevi was given the Samman Award for the Highest Income Tax Payer for the assessment year 1999–2000 by the Minister of State for Finance, Government of India. A poll conducted by CNN-IBN in 2006 named Chiranjeevi the most popular star of the Telugu Film Industry.