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‘Chiranjeevi is his biggest fan’: Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu co-star on 70-year-old actor’s fitness regime as film crosses Rs 350 Cr mark

Chiranjeevi recently headlined a film titled after his real name Shankara Vara Prasad. Directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Anil Ravipudi, the film has grossed Rs 358 crore worldwide.

4 min readNew DelhiJan 28, 2026 01:43 PM IST

Chiranjeevi thanks fans for showering love on his Rs 300 cr film Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu

Chiranjeevi is currently riding the biggest high of his career. At 70, the megastar delivered the only major Sankranti blockbuster —Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu — outperforming big-budget releases including Prabhas’ The Raja Saab. With the film having crossed the Rs 350 crore mark, conversations around star value, budgets, and age have reignited across the Telugu film industry. Amid these discussions, Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu co-star Harsha Vardhan opened up about the actor’s extraordinary dedication to fitness, even revealing that the veteran star is, in many ways, his own biggest fan.

‘Chiranjeevi never compromises on fitness’

Speaking about Chiranjeevi’s physical discipline and his ability to lead films at 70, Harsha Vardhan told SumanTV Vijayawada, “I cannot compare myself to Chiranjeevi — especially in terms of fitness. It’s not about age. What matters is the passion to stay fit. The fire in him is different. His goals are different. There is so much to learn from him. He doesn’t use body pads to look fit. He is naturally built like that. He has extreme command over his body. He has performed several unique stunts and dance steps — and that’s not possible without having full control over your body.”

Recalling Chiranjeevi’s brief political phase, Harsha added, “When he entered politics, he went out of shape. I was shocked to see him. There was no time for him to take care of himself. But when he returned to cinema, he never compromised on fitness — whether it was diet or workouts.”

Sharing insights into the megastar’s disciplined lifestyle, Harsha said, “He eats normal food, but in extremely limited quantities. By the time you start eating, he will already be done. That’s how controlled his diet is. And you should see the way he works out. Whether it’s raining or a shoot gets cancelled, he never skips training.”

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‘Chiranjeevi’s biggest fan is Chiranjeevi himself’

Revealing what motivates Chiranjeevi the most, Harsha shared his on-set observation: “What I noticed is that his biggest motivation is preserving the image of ‘Chiranjeevi’.”

Explaining further, he said, “His real name is Shankara Vara Prasad — which is also the film’s title. In reality, he is Shankara Vara Prasad. And this man is a huge fan of Chiranjeevi. He is the biggest fan of himself. All this effort is to protect the image of Chiranjeevi. Shankara Vara Prasad’s constant attempt to keep Chiranjeevi immortal is what drives him.”

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Mana Shankara Vara Prasad crosses Rs 350 crore mark

According to the makers, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad was produced at a filmmaking cost of Rs 28 crore and has gone on to earn Rs 358 crore worldwide. However, the overall project budget, including remunerations, reportedly touched Rs 200 crore.

Speaking about budget control in big-scale films, director Anil Ravipudi earlier told Great Andhra, “The filmmaking cost was between Rs 28 crore and Rs 30 crore. There is a simple rule — if remuneration is high, production costs should be controlled. If production costs are high, remuneration must be adjusted. If both are high, it creates problems. Cost failure is equal to committing suicide. I never enter that space.”

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