Telugu megastar and former minister Chiranjeevi on Wednesday drew flak for his comments that he wished for a grandson to carry his legacy forward. Netizens slammed him for his archaic thoughts and mindset, reminding him that granddaughters too can continue his legacy.
His remarks once again triggered the debate about the deep misogyny in the Telugu industry which has seen several sons of superstars continue to take up acting as their career choice but the daughters seldom follow their father’s footsteps. However, Chiranjeevi fans defended him on social media platforms, arguing that there was nothing wrong in wishing for a grandson.
Chiranjeevi was participating in the pre-release programme of an upcoming movie where he was shown his photograph with his granddaughters. The megastar, who has five granddaughters, said he often feels like the warden of a lady’s hostel as the audience tittered at his joke. He then went on to say, “I hope Charan (Ram Charan) has a boy this time to carry forward our legacy. He adores his daughter but I worry he might have another girl.” He then referred to his granddaughters as “lovely kids.” As the actor was trolled for his “misogynistic” comments on social media platforms, many reminded him of Dr Pratap C Reddy of Apollo Hospitals whose four daughters run his hospital chain. Chiranjeevi’s son Ram Charan is married to Upasana Konidela who is the granddaughter of Pratap C Reddy.
Chiranjeevi also used the opportunity to clear the air on rejoining politics. He said that he would maintain a distance from politics and instead stay close to cinema. Although some people had raised doubts that he was getting close to powerful people, the Telugu actor clarified he had no such intention. “Pawan Kalyan is there to fulfil my vision and mission, to serve in politics,” he said referring to his youngest brother who is currently the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. In recent times, Chiranjeevi shared the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times, fuelling speculations about his imminent return to politics.