Chiranjeevi

Chiranjeevi (born Konidala Siva Sankara Vara Prasad on 22 August 1955) is an Indian film actor, singer, producer and Indian National Congress Politician. He is the Minister of State with independent charge for Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Prior to Politics, Chiranjeevi has worked primarily in Telugu Cinema including Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. He made his acting debut in 1978 through the film Punadhirallu. However, Pranam Khareedu released earlier at the box office. He is popularly known as "Megastar" in the Indian media.

In a film career spanning thirty years, Chiranjeevi was starred in 149 feature films. In 1988, he co-produced Rudraveena, along with his brother Nagendra Babu which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. He has won four state Nandi Awards and ten Filmfare Awards South. Chiranjeevi was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, for his contributions towards Indian cinema. In 2006, he was presented an honorary doctorate from Andhra University.

Chiranjeevi founded the Chiranjeevi Charitable Foundation, established in 1998, which is involved in humanitarian activities. In 2008, he entered politics by forming the Praja Rajyam Party. In the 2009 Andhra Pradesh elections, Chiranjeevi contested from his native place Palakollu and Tirupati. He was defeated by the Congress party candidate in Palakollu and was elected as a member of the State Assembly from Tirupati constituency. He led the Praja Rajyam Party to emerge as the third largest party during the same election.

Read more about Chiranjeevi:  Early Life and Family, Political Career: 2008–present, Humanitarian Work, Awards, Honours and Recognitions, Notable Filmography