Megastar Chiranjeevi hails from Andhra Pradesh — a fact everyone knows. However, questions are now being raised about why he seems hesitant to even mention the name of his home state. During the Gaddar Film Awards held in Hyderabad on Thursday, Chiranjeevi referred to Andhra Pradesh as a “neighboring state” and “another Telugu state,” sparking controversy. That’s not all. This time, the Telangana government conferred the NTR National Award upon him. However, while accepting the award, Chiranjeevi did not say a single word about N. T. Rama Rao, after whom the award is named. On one hand, he avoided mentioning Andhra Pradesh, and on the other, he didn’t even speak respectfully about the person in whose name the award was given. This has drawn widespread criticism against his conduct. Speaking at the event, Chiranjeevi remarked that in terms of encouraging artists and the film industry, “our neighboring Telugu state” is somewhat lagging behind. He suggested that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is considered close to the film industry, should take inspiration from Telangana and extend more support. Such encouragement, he said, would help many young filmmakers create more films, generate revenue for the state, and boost the economy.
He also praised Revanth Reddy, stating that the Telangana Chief Minister has been fully supportive of the film industry. Chiranjeevi said that every time he meets him, Revanth Reddy talks not just about Telugu cinema, but about making Hyderabad the hub of Indian cinema. Just as Hollywood reminds people of the United States, he said, Indian cinema should make people think of Hyderabad and Telangana. Chiranjeevi added that the industry would fully support such a vision. Meanwhile, as criticism flooded social media over his failure to even mention NTR while accepting the award, Chiranjeevi posted a tweet on Friday morning, which has drawn further attention. In his tweet, he praised NTR, describing N. T. Rama Rao as a legendary figure in history and a great artist who carried forward the fine arts. He wrote: “NTR stands for N – Natya (dance), T – Taalam (rhythm), R – Raagam (melody), a true confluence of the arts. A महानुभావుడు (great personality) who took the glory of Telugu cinema across continents. Even if we don’t know what God looks like, through the roles he portrayed, he showed us divinity before our eyes. It feels as though Rama Rao garu was born for cinema; Telugu cinema is unimaginable without him. Receiving the ‘NTR National Award’ in his name is one of the greatest honors of my life.”