Chiranjeevi Konidela’s family has sprouted numerous actors, including his brothers Nagababu and Pawan Kalyan, son Ram Charan, and nephews like Allu Arjun, Varun Tej and Sai Durgha Tej, previously known as Sai Dharam Tej. At a summit hosted by ABPLive in Hyderabad, Sai was asked if there’s envy among the cousins, given that some are more successful than others. Here’s what he said. 

‘None of us thought we would act’

Even though the cousins grew up watching the Allu-Konidela families’ legacy in films, Sai says that ‘none of them’ thought they would end up acting. “None of us ever thought we would act. Take me, for example. I thought I would do a 9-5 job, but I realised I wasn’t happy and wanted to do more. I’m sure Bunny (Arjun), ram Charan or my brother (Vaisshnav Tej)...none of us had this thought of joining films. It happened naturally. So, I don’t envy them for their success. Because we’re all flowers of the same plant. Flowers of the same plant don’t compete; they bloom together.”

The actor also stated that despite having so many actors in the family, films are hardly a topic of conversation when they meet up. “We catch up to discuss how we can contribute to society; it usually has nothing to do with films. We hardly discuss any of our projects. We talk about food and clothes when all the cousins catch up. But I’m happy I got to work with my uncle (Pawan) in Bro. That film is my guru dakshina to him for guiding me through my career. He helped me through a lot,” said Sai.

Upcoming work

Sai has tried to work in films since 2009, but his debut film, Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham, was released only in 2014. The first film he shot for, Rey, was released the next year, in 2015. Before the release of Republic in 2021, Sai was involved in a major motorbike accident that left him in a coma for two weeks. He returned to the silver screen in 2023 with Virupaksha. He will soon star in a film he said was ‘inspired by 300’.

Read Also: Sriimurali on Bagheera’s Telugu release: ‘It’s a first for me and I’m nervous’

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON !