On Thursday, the Padma Awards ceremony was held in New Delhi. Actor Chiranjeevi, who was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, received it from President Droupadi Murmu at the ceremony. Also in attendance at the ceremony were his wife, Surekha and son, Ram Charan with his wife, Upasana Konidela. Vyjayanthimala, Mithun Chakraborty, Vijaykant and Usha Uthup also received Padma awards this year.

Chiranjeevi receives Padma Vibhushan

Dressed in a dark bandhgala suit, Chiranjeevi joined his hands in respect and greeted PM Narendra Modi too before receiving the scroll from the President. Surekha, Ram and Upasana looked happy for him as he received the award. Chiranjeevi was seated with the rest of the people receiving the honour, sitting beside veteran actor Vyjayanthimala until he received his award.

Previously, when he was conferred with the award, Chiranjeevi said, “I am really overwhelmed, humbled, and grateful. It is only the unconditional love of the audience, my friends, my blood brothers, and sisters. I owe this life and moment to you. I have always tried to express my gratitude in the ways I can. But, nothing can be ever enough.”

Chiranjeevi’s filmography

Chiranjeevi has acted in over 160 films in his decades-long career. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2006, making this his second Padma Award. The actor, who will soon be seen in Vishwambhara, directed by Vassishta of Bimbisara fame, once almost stepped away from films. In a bid to enter politics, he took a hiatus from acting after his 2007 film Shankar Dada Zindabad and founded the Praja Rajyam Party in 2008. However, he returned to his first love, cinema, in 2017 with Khaidi No 150.

Philanthropic pursuits

As well-known as he is for acting, Chiranjeevi is also notable for being philanthropic. He founded the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust in 1998, which includes his now-famous eye and blood banks. In the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, he set up oxygen banks and ambulances for patients. He launched a vaccine drive for film workers apart from collecting donations from stars for those who lost jobs due to halted film shoots.

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