'No more T’wood, B’wood’

At the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards 2025 in Hyderabad, Kamal Haasan struck a candid and playful note while speaking about Chiranjeevi. “He is my senior in politics, but junior in cinema,” Kamal remarked, drawing laughter with a line that balanced wit and acknowledgement. “They’ve just shifted house, that’s all. It is the same industry, according to me,” added Kamal, reinforcing his view that divisions like Tollywood and Bollywood are merely labels within one larger cinematic space.

The comment, while light in tone, reflected the distinct journeys of both icons. Chiranjeevi’s early political innings placed him ahead in that space, while Kamal’s decades-long body of work and early start in films give him seniority on screen.

Chiranjeevi, responding in his characteristic warmth, emphasised the spirit of unity. “We may come from different industries, but cinema is one. It binds us beyond language,” he noted, underlining the idea of collaboration over competition.

The two legends also share early cinematic history, having appeared together in Idi Katha Kaadu, long before their careers diverged across industries and languages.