When Chiranjeevi revealed he became an actor because of Shatrughan Sinha

Shatrughan Sinha is celebrating his 77th birthday today. While people across the industry are wishing the veteran actor a Happy Birthday, we are looking back at a time when popular Telugu star megastar Chiranjeevi revealed that he became an actor only after he saw Shatrughan Sinha on screen.

How Shatrughan Sinha helped Chiranjeevi become an actor?

In Shatrughan Sinha's biography Anything But Khamosh, megastar Chiranjeevi shared that Shatrughan Sinha inspired him to become an actor. He said, "I became an actor because of Shatrughan Sinha,” shared Chiranjeevi and added that back in those days, he went to watch a Hindi film only for Shatrughan as “he was the main attraction for me.”

The megastar recalled the time when Shatrughan Sinha's film Sabak releasedin 1973 and he watched it even after his friends described it as a "disaster", solely because it was his idol's film. However, he was disappointed after seeing Shatrughan Sinha's changed hairstyle in the film. He said, ". “I was disappointed because Shatruji had changed his hairstyle in the film."

The actor also recalled that many people told him that he looked like Shatrughan Sinha, which he took as a compliment of the highest order. He said, "People would tell me that eyes and facial features looked like his. I think it was that constant comment that triggered the idea that I too could become an actor.”]

What did Chiranjeevi like about Shatrughan Sinha?

The actor in the same biography revealed that he was impressed by Shatrughan Sinha's command over the language, his confidence, dominating body language, don't care attitude, and expression in his eyes. The actor also revealed that Shatrughan Sinha was not just an influence on him but also on Rajinikanth.

Chiranjeevi said, "You could easily see how much Shatrughan Sinha influenced Rajinikanth – the throwing of the cigarette, the sharp turning of his head, the expression on the face. Rajini copied his gimmicks and mannerisms and made them his own."