Chiranjeevi , the Telugu actor and former Union Minister said that he has no intentions of reviving his political career. Appearing on the Christmas episode of Sam Jam – a talk show hosted by actor Samantha Akkineni on the streaming platform Aha Video, Chiranjeevi said he would like to focus on his acting, and shut down any speculation of a political re-entry.
Chiranjeevi opened up about his personal and professional life on the show while discussing his 2017 film Khaidi No. 150. The film, a remake of the Tamil superhit Kaththi, marked Chiranjeevi’s comeback to films after a hiatus of nearly 10 years during which he started a political party.
Chiranjeevi said that acting after a decade made him realize that this was his calling, “This is my arena. I am fortunate to be an actor. I have been both an actor and a politician, and if I am born again, I would rather be an actor.”
Chiranjeevi, who in November had a false positive test for Covid 19, is currently working on his 152nd film Acharya which is jointly produced by his wife and son, Surekha Konidela and Ram Charan, under the Konidela Production Company banner.
Chiranjeevi’s political career began in 2008 when he started the populist Praja Rajyam party in 2008 in Andhra Pradesh. His party won 18 out of the 288 seats it contested for the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly, and Chiranjeevi became a Member of the State Assembly representing Tirupati. In 2011, Chiranjeevi merged his party with the Indian National Congress and won an election for the Rajya Sabha in 2012, becoming a member of the Indian Parliament. Chiranjeevi was soon named the Union Minister of State for Tourism.
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In 2014, the Government of India, led by the Indian National Congress, split the state of Andhra Pradesh two, leading to the formation of Telangana. The decision was unpopular in Andhra Pradesh, and led to an exodus of several party leaders from the Congress, but Chiranjeevi continued on and campaigned for the party in the 2014 parliamentary and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.
His brother, the actor Pawan Kalyan, started his own party – the Jana Sena – during the elections and campaigned against the Congress and Chiranjeevi. The Congress lost every seat it contested in, and Chiranjeevi withdrew from politics after the results, eventually making a comeback in films through Khaidi No. 150.