'Am I not happy he was born?'
'Am I not happy he crossed my path when I was walking through a wasteland?'
'Am I not happy that, like a haunting song, he still lingers in my heart?'
Chiranjeevi turns 70 on August 22, and his The Gentleman Director Mahesh Bhatt looks back at the good times they have shared.
Bhatt tells Subhash K Jha, "At 70, he is not only celebrated as a megastar, but cherished as a human being who carries light wherever he goes."
You directed Chiranjeevi in The Gentleman.
A good song lingers long after it has ended. It floats back to you when you are least expecting it, uninvited yet welcome.
Some people are like that too.
They come into your life, touch you deeply, and remain long after the moment has passed.
Chiranjeevi is one of them.
Your good vibes with him lingered long after The Gentleman?
He is unforgettable!
The megastar of the Telugu film industry, who turns 70 today.
Am I not happy he was born?
Am I not happy he crossed my path when I was walking through a wasteland?
Am I not happy that, like a haunting song, he still lingers in my heart?
You certainly are fond of him.
We came together during the making of The Gentleman in Hindi. The original Tamil film had been a superhit, and Allu Aravind, the renowned producer, brought the rights, and brought us together.
That was my first foray into the South Indian industry, which gave me a much wider perspective of Indian cinema beyond the narrow Bollywood gaze.
What are your memories of the shoot?
I remember the heat of Chennai, the intensity of the shoots, and how it was all cushioned by the effortless charm of Chiranjeevi.
Handsome, radiant, with a twinkle in his eyes, playful yet deeply disciplined.
When a shoot was cancelled due to production snags, he would feign disappointment, 'Oh, no shooting today', only to lean close and whisper with boyish glee, 'My heart dances. It’s a holiday.'
It was like those childhood mornings when sudden rain sent you home early from school.
What set Chiranjeevi apart from his peers?
What set him apart was not just his professionalism -- he was dedicated to every line, even in a language he was not as fluent in as Telugu -- but the way he lifted the entire set with his presence.
From our very first meeting in a Chennai hotel, when he regarded me with shy curiosity, to our last screening of The Gentleman, our respect grew into a friendship built on something real.
You had enlightening conversations with Chiranjeevi?
He often listened with fascination when I spoke of UG Krishnamurti.
Chiranjeevi would say to me, 'You are not only a film-maker, you think like a philosopher.'
He saw me not as a means to an end, but as a person. I too saw him not just as a star, but as a man of depth and humanity.
In our industry, where everything is so often transactional, that kind of seeing is rare.
What makes Chiranjeevi so loved?
Perhaps the secret lies in his very name.
Chiranjeevi means 'immortal'.
And in his own way, he has lived up to it -- not just through iconic roles, but through the grace, warmth, and generosity with which he has touched lives beyond cinema.
At 70, he is not only celebrated as a megastar, but cherished as a human being who carries light wherever he goes.
Happy birthday, Chiranjeevi! May your twinkle never fade, and may your song continue to play in the hearts of many.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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