Chiranjeevi Exposed: Explosive Stuff

Chiranjeevi is arguably one of the most popular actors, if not the best, in Andhra Pradesh. But that’s that and nothing more to it. I have been in the industry for some time now. I have known the inside and outside of Chiranjeevi and his brother Pawan Kalyan. I know how many artistes in the industry were humiliated by Chiranjeevi. My husband Rajasekhar has stronger views on him. I wanted my husband to write a post on this off-screen political drama being enacted by a hypocritical on-screen hero. Here is what my husband has to say about Chiranjeevi:

Rajasekhar writes

“As I know, Chiranjeevi always hid behind a veil of hypocrisy. The actor is spinning another tale, this time political. I have no problem if Chiranjeevi or his brother enter the political arena. The country has seen the likes of NTR and MGR emerge as chief ministers after their successful career in movies. But the comparison ends there. MGR and NTR were a different breed. They had a special connect with the people. They were not shallow and hypocritical. They practiced what they preached.

Humble Drama

I laughed at the inaugural speech of the megastar in Tirupati when he claimed that he had humble beginnings and ate ganji during his youth. These are his exact words: “I survived in Madras with less than Rs 100 per month. People need a person from such background to lead them. My roles in cinema always represented weaker sections.” That was an awesome performance in real life too!!!

He doesn’t stop there. He wallows in self-pity. Here is another example :”I am from a very humble background. We had just five acres of land. My father was a police constable.” So what if his father was a police constable? So what if he had just five acres of land? How many artistes are struggling to make both ends meet? Did he ever make an attempt to wipe out the tears from their faces? Does he know the background of artistes in the film industry? What help did he offer to the legendary actor Kanta Rao’s family or for that matter any artiste who died in penury? All of us had humble beginnings. I used to help my mother in milching milk, sell eggs and make pidakalu (cow dung cakes) to ease her burden. I get tears when I recall those days. But I have done no favour to my mother by helping her. What has his humble beginnings got to do with social justice and all that jazz? Has he counted the number of cars he has? Where did this money come from? Does he even show his gratitude to the masses who made him what he is now? They idolise and worship him, but what do they get in return? Not even a hand wave from his Benz/BMW tinted glasses.

Party of Pawan Kalyan, for Nagababu, by Allu Aravind

I had a hearty laugh when he stated that “My party is of the people, for the people and by the people.” Well, Chiranjeevi, your party is of Pawan Kalyan, for Nagababu and by Allu Aravind. His another pearl, “I take an oath in the name of Lord Venkateshwara that I will be with you. You don’t need a leader. You need a servant. It is my motive. I want to restore the honour of politics.” Such blatant lies.

Has he forgotten how he treats his servants? Has he forgotten how he roughed up his car driver when he ate his left-overs? Or for that matter, how he treats his own family members, especially his daughters? What help did he render when his servant asked for mere Rs 50,000 for his daughter’s wedding? Leave alone giving the money, Chiranjeevi sacked the servant. So much for Samajika Nyayam!

Wolf In The Sheep Skin

Chiranjeevi ‘oka meka vanne puli’ (a wolf in sheep’s skin). My blood boils when I see through his two faces. His inside and outside are deceptive. His another gem, “I don’t know politics. I can’t understand it. But I know the suffering of people.” Where was he when the farmers in the state were committing suicides? Where was he when weavers were ending their lives in Siricilla? He visited Siricilla after earning crores of rupees in the film industry and shed a few crocodile tears. Was he not aware of the weavers’ sufferings before he entered politics?

Bloody Lies

Another boastful statement, “I founded hundreds of blood and eye banks.” Whose blood is it anyway? Has he given it for free? Has he or his brother donated blood? The blood bank is the contribution of lakhs of his fans who revered and adored the man. But what gratitude does he have for them? Several people died in stampedes while buying his cinema tickets. What help has he offered to the kin of all those people who died in stampedes?

Mr Chiranjeevi, your fans not only gave their blood but earned bread for you and your entire family. But in return what they get is your irreverence and utter contempt.

Social justice sham

Chiranjeevi’s social justice mantra is just to corner votes and not to render justice to the downtrodden. How can there be social justice as long as Praja Rajyam Party remains the private property of one family? Chiranjeevi has mastered the art of turning politics into business. To do real social justice is to give the deprived access to quality education, health care, employment opportunities and social security.

In his career spanning over 30 years, has he done anything in this direction? Leave social justice, what justice has he done to his native Mogalturu. He earned crores of rupees but hasn’t spent a penny for the development of his village. He sold a library in Mogalturu for Rs 3 lakh when some people approached him. ‘Samaji ka nyayam, em samaji ka nyayam? Fine, but does he have Manavatva nyayam?

No Friends

I ask Chiranjeevi how many of film artistes are supporting him? Can he name a few actors who are supporting him apart from his brothers Pawan Kalyan, Nagababu and brother-in-law Allu Aravind. This is because he has no credibility in the industry. Has he given chance to any new director? He behaves like a ‘sarva adhikari’ and crushed the careers of so many people.

Cannot run family

While he fights against villainous parents of bride, he and his family played the role of villain in his daughter Srija’s marriage. Chiranjeevi talks about social justice when he cannot do justice to his own family members.

He refused to accept Bharadwaj as his son-in-law because of the caste crossover. How can we entrust the responsibility of Andhra Pradesh to this man who cannot even handle his own family members.

48 laws to power

Chiranjeevi follows the book ’48 laws to power’ written by Robert Greene as a Bible. The book is full of “vennu potu” ideas. I saw the same book in the house of Chandrababu Naidu. I quote from the book: “Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.” That sums up his personality.

The shame Guevara

His brother Pawan Kalyan thinks he is the reincarnation of Che Guevara. Beating up directors and fighting on streets, pulling out revolver’s doesn’t make one a Che Guevara. Does he even know who Che Guevara is and what he stood for? It is a shame that Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan are misusing photographs of great personalities like Mother Teresa, Dr B R Ambedkar and the likes for their selfish political ends. Look at the irony, Chiranjeevi talks of Mahatma Gandhi who was a peace apostle while Che Guevara took the violent path to achieve his means.

Voters Appeal

I appeal to the voters to exercise their valuable franchise on the basis of development. I request the voters not to get carried away by filmi glamour and vote for a party that provides good governance. If you like your hero, please watch his movies three times or even 10 times, but don’t give away your vote cheaply. Is it worth to pledge the interests of our state in the hands of one family? Think of it.(courtsey: www.votecong.com)

Rajasekhara Reddy, Y he's ahead

Café discussions, pre-poll surveys and conventional wisdom all put him ahead in the race to Mandate 2009. We discuss five reasons why Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is being seen as the strongest incumbent to have donned poll gear in AP since the days of one-party rule in the 1970s.

Two reputed polling organizations, CSDS for CNN-IBN and Nielsen-ORG for NTV, have forecast a Congress victory in the upcoming election. That must make Y S Rajasekhara Reddy one of the few AP chief ministers to be strongly tipped to return to power. We look at five reasons why YSR is presently the frontrunner in this race.

Incumbency is his advantage

YSR is going into this election on the strength of a staggering array of welfare and development projects, be it the audacious Jalayagnam, the very necessary Pavala Vaddi or the stubbornly populist free power. Throughout his term, in the face of right-wing alarm, YSR never wavered in his commitment to welfarism, going to the extent of using innovative methods to raise funds for Jalayagnam.

YSR used his incumbency well where Chandrababu Naidu did not. Sticking to a rural-agrarian vision, YSR trained his focus on winning the votes of people who vote whereas Chandrababu Naidu wooed voters who do not. Where Naidu was lulled by the hosannas of the World Bank, YSR gave wide berth to the World Economic Forum.

Does welfarism win votes? If it didn’t, why is Chandrababu Naidu joining the competition, perhaps too late and with too little?



2) The waning of naxalism in AP
Ever since the rise of the naxalites in rural AP, they have played a decisive role in unseating several incumbents – in 1989, 1994, and 2004. The naxalites have been traditionally hostile to all ruling parties irrespective of ideology, but the difference this time is that they seem to be in no position to – or perhaps reluctant – to scuttle the chances of the chief minister. The state has come a long way since the days when police-naxalite warfare was front page news. Not any more. Chandrababu Naidu suffered at the hustings in 2004 because he was menaced by the naxalites. YSR is ahead because he has no such menace to contend with.


3) The opposition is divided
This may be a surprising thing to say after the formation of the Mahakutami but the coalition partners in it really are at sixes and sevens on Telangana. One party, the TRS, is squarely separatist; another, the TDP, is half this and half that; a third, the CPM, is unapologetically against it; and the fourth, CPI, is inconsequential anyway.

Instead of going with coherence, the Mahakutami is approaching the Telangana voter with confusion in its own mind. Moreover, the TDP’s late dalliance with separatism is likely to win it no support in coastal Andhra and certainly not in Rayalaseema.

Chiranjeevi

While the Mahakutami bills itself as a united front against the Congress, it isn’t. There’s still the Praja Rajyam out on a limb out there. Chiranjeevi’s charisma may not be strong enough to generate an NTR-like wave in all of AP, but he still can split the anti-Congress vote enough to put paid to the best laid plans of the Mahakutami.

Moreover, Chiranjeevi is trying to stitch together a coalition of middle-castes, which, until now, have been traditional supporters of the TDP. Migration of such groups to a Chiranjeevi coalition can only be at the cost of the TDP. Chandrababu Naidu knows this. Therefore, his daily cussing against the Megastar.

5) YSR is the agenda-setter

Finally, it’s an electoral truism that the vote will go to that leader or party who sets the agenda. Barack Obama seized the agenda in the US election and he won it. YSR set the agenda in 2004 and he won. The UPA stole the agenda from the BJP in 2004, and they won.

But now in 2009, the TDP does not act but only reacts to what the Congress does. Until the free colour TV scheme, the TDP had only been playing catch-up politics, coming up with increments on the Congress’ poll promises and therefore being not very convincing. That’s not the elections are won.

Varun Angers Cyberworld

Cyberworld is flooded with extreme reactions to Varun Gandhi’s allegedly communal speeches in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, with people expressing anger as well as support for the young BJP candidate.

Here are some

“I can’t believe this guy (Varun) is a product of the London School of Economics! What a pity. If such is the thought process of a well-educated, young politician like him, I can well imagine where Indian politics is headed to - down the drains,” read an angry comment by Ashmita Jain.
Aayan Sharif, a blogger, wrote: ‘Cutting hands, as if! Here people are dying of hunger and suffering because of unemployment, but the breed like Varun Gandhi’s is not bothered about that! Survival is the issue with more than half the country today Mr.Gandhi, not your narrow minded communal opinions!’

“Learn something from your cousin, Rahul (Gandhi). Can’t believe both are from the same line of blood! It’s a shame that he’s the great grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, who championed secularism,” wrote Avika Mehra, a student, in her blog.

Another blogger wrote: ‘If he is a true Hindu that he claims he is, then he should work for their and others’ upliftment. Poverty, literacy and employment - there are enough issues for him to work for a lifetime instead of brainwashing poor uneducated people on petty politics.’

‘What wrong has Varun done? He was simply talking about protecting his own religion. Every Hindu should support him,” read one comment on YouTube.

On popular social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook, there are several communities being created to bring together Varun Gandhi fans.
On one such forum in Orkut, a fan wrote: ‘Varun Gandhi is a one many army with a lot of capabilities to lead the nation. Whatever he said was the truth, and finally somebody has had enough courage to do that.’

In another forum on Facebook, ‘Varun Gandhi: the Bold Hero’, the moderator went on to say he is the only eligible member of the bloodline of Nehru.

‘Varun Gandhi is a true Indian and is the future prime minister of the country. He is the hero of the youth. Let’s welcome him with open arms. Jai Hind!’ the moderator wrote.

And not just that. Some of the videos of Varun Gandhi’s speech, uploaded on Youtube, has also been made mobile compatible so that you can see it in your cell phones.

Economist: Naidu then and Naid-U now

In his heyday as the ‘computer-savvy’ chief minister, Chandrababu Naidu was the darling of right-wing publications such as Economist. He puffed up whenever they published kind notices of him and in turn they rushed to shower on him awards and invitations to ‘leadership summits’.
But what would they think of him now as he peddles free colour TVs and cash payouts?
Economist, the most unapologetic of right-wing publications, once saw Naidu as the hope of the nation as he propped up the BJP at the Centre and promoted every pro-market legislation and policy during 1998-2004.
Here’s what the Economist said of Chandrababu Naidu in August 2000 (http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_PVQNTN):
“In a country still weaning itself away from socialism, Mr Naidu embodies the idea that reform is not a conspiracy against the poor but the best way to help them. He has an appealing vision of business, technology, enlightened bureaucrats and the energies of common people together improving welfare, and has gone some way towards implementing it.”
And here’s what the magazine says in its March 12, 2009 issue (http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13278390) when it met the same man, now a competitive populist:

“Forsaking his famed reformism, Mr Naidu is… matching the open-handed populism of his rival. The TDP has promised a massive and seemingly unaffordable cash transfer to families either side of the poverty-line, and a colour television to every family below it. Asked about this proposal, Mr Naidu concedes an embarrassed laugh.”

Covering the election in AP, the Economist concedes the current state government seems less unpopular than its predecessor was:

“With fat revenues from the computer-services industry in Hyderabad, the state capital, and sales of state-owned land, it has poured money into irrigation and other development.”

While acknowledging that second-guessing Indian voters is a mug’s game, the magazine says “it is thought that Congress may keep power in AP, despite losing some seats in he state legislature. It is also predicted to win over 20 of AP’s parliamentary seats.”

Chiranjeevi Rajyam Vs Nandamuri Desam

The elections in Andhra Pradesh seem to be a dog fight between the two most powerful families in the state. After movies, Chiranjeevi's and Nandamuri's families are locked in a political battle. The political battle of these two families makes a good script. Praja Rajyam party may as well be called "Jai Chiranjeevi." In his party, the only 'prajalu' are his brothers Pawan Kalyan, Nagababu, his brother-in-law Allu Aravind. The only one that is missing in this political album is Allu Arjun.

While brother-in-law, Allu Arvind, is an old and trusted hand, Chiranjeevi has found potential in younger brother Pawan Kalyan after his recent film Jalsa has brought him an image somewhat similar to that of a liberal left wing thinker. The Praja Rajyam president has appointed him as the president of Yuva Rajyam.

Nagendra Babu, a producer-turned-actor, who is neither known for his acting talent nor for his looks is now basking in the glory of Chiranjeevi. Earlier, he was considered good only for playing father or brother roles. Now with the entry of Chiranjeevi in politics, some producers feel that Nagendra Babu is equally good playing character roles or even the lead role. So what if the film does not do well. It surely will open up windows of opportunity for producers who want to access Chiranjeevi.

On the other hand, Chandrababu Naidu who kept away the Nandamuri family due to his insecurity is now hobnobbing with them for his political gains. Naidu has successfully roped in his brothers-in-law, Balakrishna and Harikrishna. NTR junior who was always kept away from the Nandamuri family for some obvious reasons is being used by Naidu for Telugu Desam Party campaigning.

When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Should we be a part of the political enterprise of two selfish families? Should we be voting for such power-hungry individuals who are out to better their own families.