Chiranjeevi Is Senior to Me in Politics, Says Kamal Haasan

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan expressed his happiness after receiving the prestigious Paidi Jairaj Award from Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at the Gaddar Film Awards. Thanking the dignitaries and the Telugu film fraternity, he said, “I am grateful to the Chief Minister, my friends Chiranjeevi and my brother Nagarjuna Akkineni, and the entire Telugu film family which moved from Chennai to Hyderabad.”

Recalling his early days, Kamal Haasan shared that he first came to Hyderabad at the age of 16 to work as an assistant choreographer in a film starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao. “As a tribute, I even used his song ‘Entho Chinnadi Jeevitham’ in my film Dasavatharam, and Nagarjuna acknowledged it,” he said.

Reflecting on his long association with Telugu cinema, Kamal noted that he has been working in Hyderabad for decades. He fondly remembered legendary director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao while receiving the award. “I recalled our first Telugu film together, Sommokadidhi Sokokadidhi. He is like a father figure to me—not just because he shares my father’s name Srinivas, but because we have worked together for nearly 50 years. He is among the youngest seniors I have met,” he remarked.

Speaking about his bond with Chiranjeevi, Kamal Haasan said with a smile, “Chiranjeevi and I are like brothers. He is senior to me in politics but junior in cinema. We both became lead actors in the 1970s, and now we are in our seventies—he won’t mind me saying that,” he chuckled.

He also paid tribute to revolutionary poet Gaddar and appreciated the Telangana government for naming the awards after him. “He was a revolutionary voice, and we are honoured to receive an award in his name,” he said.

Emphasising unity in the film industry, Kamal Haasan concluded, “There is no Tollywood or Kollywood—it is all Indian cinema. We have moved beyond regional boundaries, and we want everyone to come together as one.”