Chiranjeevi Reveals His Inspirations: From Mithun to Amitabh

Speaking at the WAVES 2025 Summit in Mumbai earlier today, Megastar Chiranjeevi suggested that he knew that Telugu cinema had at least six reigning superstars when he started out as an actor in the late 1970s. He went ahead with the resolve of doing something different from the well-established thespians like NTR and ANR.

The Waltair Veerayya actor began by speaking about how his interest in dancing ultimately evolved into a passion for acting. "I aimed at hitting the bullseye. I drew inspiration from Mithun Chakraborty, whose film Mrigayaa I happened to watch as a film institute student in 1977. That film fetched Mithun da a National Award for Best Acting. He was natural in that film. I noticed that donning heavy make-up was the in-thing for actors during those times. I opted for a minimalist look. I wanted to look like a boy next door," the Vishwambhara actor said.