Chiranjeevi likely to quit politics

Suresh Dharur

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Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, June 7

The actor-turned-politician and Congress Rajya Sabha member Chiranjeevi is planning to quit politics and get back to the tinsel world.

The 61-year-old megastar has been keeping away from the party activities for the past one year. He was conspicuous by his absence at a public meeting addressed by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the coastal Andhra city of Guntur on Sunday. There was not even a statement or a twitter message from him on Rahul’s tour. This has further strengthened the speculation over his plans to bid adieu to politics.

Chiranjeevi, whose 150th film “Khaidi No. 150” was released early this year to packed houses, did not accompany the Andhra Congress leaders when they went to Delhi to meet Rahul. His Rajya Sabha term will end next year.

Sources in the Telugu film industry said Chiranjeevi, a former Union Minister, is keen to get back to acting and film production fulltime.

In a career spanning over three decades, Chiranjeevi churned out several blockbusters and became the uncrowned king of the Tollywood. However, his tryst with politics has been anything but fruitful. Despite being a hugely popular actor, he had failed to convert his star power into votes. As a result, his Praja Rajyam Party, floated in 2008, bombed at the ballot box in the 2009 elections. Later, he merged his party with Congress and went on to become a minister in the UPA-II.

The big blow came in the 2014 General Election when Congress drew a blank in the Seemandhra region for which he was the campaign chief. Since then, the actor has been lying low, barring the occasional talk of his possible reentry into the Tollywood.

Promising “social justice and change”, he entered politics on August 26, 2008, conducted hugely successful road shows, reminiscent of the NTR magic, and raised hopes that he might emerge as an alternative to the two main contenders for power — Congress and Telugu Desam Party. However, his political show turned out to be a flop.

Chiranjeevi’s younger brother Pawan Kalyan, also a popular actor, is all set to test his political fortunes by contesting elections in 2019. Known for his maverick ways and outspokenness, Pawan Kalyan had recently announced that his three-year-old political outfit “Jana Sena” would field candidates for the 2019 general elections in both Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.