Chiranjeevi Is Proud Of Indra Co-Star Teja Sajja's Journey In Showbiz, Says 'I Treat Him As Family'

Most know Teja Sajja as the face of arguably one of the biggest Telugu hits of the year, HanuMan. However, not many know that before the spotlight shone on him as a leading hero, Teja Sajja was also a child actor, having starred is several roles big and small across earlier films. Chiranjeevi, recently applauded the kind of growth that the actor has demonstrated, over the years.

Chiranjeevi expresses pride over Teja Sajja's journey in the arclights

Chiranjeevi recently marked his presence at the South Indian Film Festival. During a media interaction there, the actor revealed how for long, he had wanted to make a film on Hanuman, something that just did not materialise. He however, quippingly pointed to Teja Sajja, seated among the audience, as somebody who has effectively realised this dream of his with blockbuster film HanuMan. For the unversed, Chiranjeevi and Teja Sajja's relationship goes back decades, owing to their collaboration on 2002 film Indra wherein the latter played the former's younger version.

He said, "I wanted to do a film on Hanuman. But the little boy sitting over there wearing a jacket (Teja Sajja) did it, and it gave me immense satisfaction. Teja acted with me during his childhood, and he started liking me and drawing inspiration from my films. Now, the entire nation is applauding him. I treat him as my family, and he has been a part of my journey. I am highly elated that Teja Sajja has fulfilled my wish. Teja has no film background and came all the way here through his sheer hard work".

Teja Sajja's HanuMan is gearing up for its sequel

Teja Sajja commenced 2024 on an incredibly positive note, with his film HanuMan, emerging as the highest grossing Sankranthi release, beating the likes of Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram and Nagarjuna's Naa Saami Ranga. Made on a humble budget of ₹40 crores, a Sacnilk report places its domestic collections at ₹201.63 crores with its worldwide number being ₹295 crores.

An official sequel to the film - titled Jai Hanuman - was announced by director Prasanth Varma, in late January.