Chiranjeevi

Indian film actor, dancer, producer, singer, voice artist, politician, businessman, investor and a member of the Indian National Congress. He was the Minister of State with independent charge for the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Prior to politics, Chiranjeevi attended the Madras Film Institute, and had worked primarily in Telugu cinema, in addition to Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. He made his acting debut in 1978, with the film Punadhirallu. However, Pranam Khareedu was released earlier at the box office. Known for his break dancing skills, and being referred to in the media as the "Mega Star" chiranjeevi was the guest of honour at the 59th Academy Awards. In the same year, he starred in Swayam Krushi, which premiered at the Moscow International Film Festival. In 1988, he co-produced Rudraveena, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. In a film career spanning thirty five years, he won four state Nandi Awards and ten Filmfare Awards South including the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South. In 2006, Chiranjeevi was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema, and was presented with an honorary doctorate from Andhra University. In 2013, he inaugurated the Incredible India Exhibition, a joint participation of the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. He also represented Incredible India at the 14th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony held in Macau. Chiranjeevi's 150th film was announced in May 2015. Chiranjeevi's 1992 film Gharana Mogudu made Chiranjeevi the highest paid actor in India at the time, catapulting him to the cover pages of noted national weekly magazines in India. In 2002, Chiranjeevi was given the Samman Award for the Highest Income Tax Payer for the assessment year 1999-2000 by the Minister of State for Finance, Government of India. Chiranjeevi founded the Chiranjeevi Charitable Foundation, established in 1998, which is involved in humanitarian activities. In 2008, he entered politics by forming the Praja Rajyam Party. In the 2009 Andhra Pradesh elections, Chiranjeevi contested from his native places, Palakollu and Tirupati. He was defeated by the Congress party candidate in Palakollu and was elected as a member of the State Assembly from the Tirupati constituency. He led the Praja Rajyam Party to emerge as the third largest party during the same election. Later, in February 2011, his Praja Rajyam Party merged into the Indian National Congress. Link to Wikipedia biography