Chiranjeevi's Real Name: Chiranjeevi

Quick answer: The actor is known professionally as Chiranjeevi. The New Indian Express says his real name was Konidela Siva Shankara Varaprasad and that he was born on August 22, 1955, in Mogalturu, in West Godavari district. Hindustan Times independently lists the original name Konidella Sivasankara Varaprasad and the same date and birthplace, with a slightly different spelling of the longer name. This page titles him under the public name.

Real name and early life

Independent publishers identify him under the professional name Chiranjeevi. The New Indian Express, in a profile later updated in 2012, says he was born on August 22, 1955, in Mogalturu, a small village in the coastal district of West Godavari, and that his real name was Konidela Siva Shankara Varaprasad, the eldest of three sons of Venkat Rao and Anjana Devi. Hindustan Times, in an August 26, 2008, fact file, independently lists the original name as Konidella Sivasankara Varaprasad, the birth date as Aug. 22, 1955, and the birthplace as Mogalturu, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, and names the same parents. The New Indian Express says that after graduation he moved to Madras, now Chennai, and joined a film institute in 1977, and that his mother advised him to take the screen name Chiranjeevi.

Career highlights

Hindustan Times lists the first film as "Punadi Rallu" and the first film released as "Pranam Khareedu" on Sept. 22, 1978. The New Indian Express independently says "Punaadi Raallu" was his first film in the lead role, but that "Pranam Kareedhu," released in 1978, came out first, after which he began establishing himself as an actor. The same Express profile, written when he was 55, says he had featured in 149 movies over three decades. Hindustan Times independently records a January 2006 Padma Bhushan. Both accounts discuss his later political work: Hindustan Times, in 2008, says he had launched the Praja Rajyam political party, and The New Indian Express later says he launched the party on August 26, 2008, and in 2011 merged it with the Congress party after the 2009 elections, in which the party won 18 seats in the 294-member assembly.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Chiranjeevi, or the longer Konidela or Konidella forms, are looking for the same actor. The longer name spellings differ between The New Indian Express and Hindustan Times, so this page uses the public professional name.