Chiranjeevi recalls feeling Insulted at Goa Film Festival: South cinema was overlooked

Chiranjeevi

Chiranjeevi recently recalled a disheartening experience at a film festival in Goa during the 1990s, where he felt insulted by the sidelining of South Indian actors.

In an episode of Fireside Chat on Aha, the veteran actor shared how this incident underscored the lack of recognition for South Indian cinema at the time. Chiranjeevi said "I remember being invited to a film festival in Goa. I sat down for high tea and saw posters of all the famous north Indian actors on display. The only south Indian actors whose posters were put up were Rajkumar, MGR and two others. I felt so bad because where are NTR, ANR, Sivaji Ganesan?"

Chiranjeevi reflected on how South Indian cinema was not given its due respect back then. He expressed his frustration, stating, “They didn’t care about us; only Bollywood was considered Indian cinema.” This sentiment pushed him to act in Hindi films such as Pratibandh and Aaj Ka Goonda Raaj out of what he called "vengeance," to prove the potential of the South Indian film industry.

He now takes pride in how the South is being celebrated globally, thanks to directors like SS Rajamouli, Prashanth Neel, Sukumar, Rishab Shetty, Atlee, and Lokesh Kanagaraj, whose works have elevated the industry’s stature.

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During the chat, Chiranjeevi also discussed his choice of films, revealing that while he personally prefers "classy" movies, he often takes on commercial projects to ensure producers' profits. He cited Rudraveena, a critically acclaimed film that won him awards, but didn’t perform well financially. “My job satisfaction cannot be more important than producer revenue,” he said, emphasizing his responsibility to the industry.

After taking a break from cinema for politics in 2007, Chiranjeevi made a grand comeback in 2017 with Khaidi No. 150. Since then, he has appeared in notable films like Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, Acharya, Godfather, Waltair Veerayya, and Bholaa Shankar.

Currently, he is working on Vishwambhara, directed by Vassishta, with co-stars Trisha, Kunal Kapoor, and Meenakshi Chaudhary. The film is scheduled for release on January 10 next year.