There is no doubt that nepotism is the name of the game in the world of cinema. It isn’t just an Indian phenomenon by any means. But, truth be told, it is quite rampant in Telugu cinema as much as it is, if not more, in Hindi cinema. Interestingly enough, when many of the stars in Hindi cinema are almost apologetic about nepotism in the industry, Telugu cinema holds it like a prized possession. Someone’s son, daughter, nephew, niece, second cousin, third grandson, seventh granddaughter, etc… are heralded as the next big thing simply because they come from a film family. But then came a Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad aka Chiranjeevi to change the game. Of course, the cycle of nepotism continues with many members of Chiranjeevi’s family becoming the who’s who of Telugu cinema. But in every generation, talent will always find a way to come to the fore, and during his time, it was Chiranjeevi proving to the world that stardom might be an accident, but Megastardom is given by fans to the person who deserves it the most, but doesn’t run behind it.

Of course, people know the Megastar of films like Indra, Shankar Dada MBBS, Tagore, and the legion of films that elevated even the simplest of characters into demigods, but there was/is a Chiranjeevi, who was not just a superstar but also one of the finest actors of his generation. No wonder, the legendary director K Balachander once said, “He is a unique combination of Kamal Hassan, Rajinikanth and Sivaji Ganesan and but yet he is distinctively different from each one of them.”

Here are five films that showcase to the world that K Balachander’s statement about Chiranjeevi wasn’t just another filmic paean, but an honest and astute observation. 

In K Balachander’s haunting adaptation of Sivasankari’s novel of the same name, Chiranjeevi played the suave Kumar. He looked like a perfect gentleman only for his evilness to unfold as the narrative progresses. As the suited up and silver-tongued Kumar, his performance was a masterclass in how to effectively play a manipulative character that everyone would love to hate. His urban candour fit into a beautifully twisted world where men could get away with anything… almost. It was a quintessential K Balachander film, and Chiranjeevi played the quintessential bad man. Kumar was the man girls dreamed of marrying, only to wake up into a nightmare, and Chiranjeevi ensured his portrayal was distinct and memorable, even if frightening.

It is not often that we see an actor be great at comedy, but one of the unwritten rules in Indian cinema is that a superstar definitely needs to be great at comedy. Look at all of Chiranjeevi’s peers in all Indian languages, and it was clear that comedy needed to be their forte even if they could dropkick at ease, and shed a tear comfortably. You make the audience laugh, and you jumped a few steps ahead on the journey to superstardom. Chantabbai is a unique film in that sense. It showcased Chiranjeevi’s ability to be a strong comic hero, and even when Pandu… James Pandu is made the butt of the jokes, he never stops exuding his stardom. It is a very thin line between being oneself in all the roles, and being a different version in all roles, and yet connect with the audience on the same level as a star. As the detective, Chiranjeevi showcased to the world that comedy wasn’t a chink in his armour, but a strong weapon, and this aspect of his oeuvre continues to be loved by the audience.