By BVS Prakash
Copyright deccanchronicle
Nandamuri Balakrishna’s recent comments on Chiranjeevi’s 2022 meeting with former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at Tadepalli camp office has reignited chatter about a possible rift between the Nandamuri and Mega families. Chiranjeevi, however, refuted Balakrishna’s version, stating that Jagan responded positively to his delegation—which included Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, S.S. Rajamouli, and Koratala Siva—and extended full support to the film industry on the movie ticket rates issue.While social media is buzzing with memes and heated fan wars and an unknown Chiranjeevi fans seeking apology from Balakrishna, producer Lagapati Sridhar dismisses the chatter as politically motivated. “I don’t think we should take social media explosions seriously. Rival political parties are trying to drive a wedge between two leading stars, but there is no fallout in Tollywood which is key,” he said.Sridhar, who has seen decades of rivalry between Balakrishna and Chiranjeevi fans, compared it to the legendary fan battles of NTR vs. Krishna. “Fans always clash during film releases, but most of the time it remains controlled. Even today, Prabhas, Jr NTR, and Mahesh Babu fans troll one another, but it’s all part of cinema culture,” he observed.He also underlined Chiranjeevi’s unmatched stature in the industry: “After NTR, Chiranjeevi became the face of Telugu cinema with numerous box-office records. He’s ahead of Balakrishna on several fronts, but that doesn’t diminish Balayya’s popularity and respected position in the industry. Their families have, in fact, grown closer—Balakrishna’s Unstoppable show even featured Pawan Kalyan and Ram Charan and their jovial banter went viral and thrilled fans.”The camaraderie is visible today, Sridhar noted, with Balakrishna even urging audiences to watch Pawan Kalyan’s OG before his own Akhanda 2 this December. “Their political alliance in Andhra Pradesh is spilling into films, which is a good sign,” he added.On Chiranjeevi’s industry role, Sridhar was unequivocal: “Chiranjeevi stepped forward not for personal gain but for the industry’s sake. When needed, he led delegations, met Jagan, and ensured ticket hikes that became a necessity for Telugu cinema. He has become the true industry head after Dasari Narayana Rao,” he concluded
