Pawan Kalyan says he wanted to join Naxalites at 17, Chiranjeevi stopped him

‘My mind was exploding’

The actor-politician also revealed that he was “going crazy” and felt that this could be a solution. He would attend gatherings with students where no one knew him. He also participated in short film festivals in Mumbai, to make documentaries. He said that he was experimenting but unhappy with everything and felt stuck and angry.

ALSO READ | Pawan Kalyan praises Aditya Dhar’s film, recalls time in Kashmir: ‘Saw those tremors’

“My mind was exploding with many things. I was going crazy. That’s when my brother entered the picture. He said only one thing. If your brother was not Chiranjeevi, if you have responsibilities towards your family, if someone is dependent on you based on your salary and hard work, would you do the same thing? I could not answer. I didn’t have an answer, I kept quiet,” he said.

‘Chiranjeevi is my only hero’

At his film Ustaad Bhagat Singh’s pre-release event in March, the actor had had called his brother Chiranjeevi his ‘only hero’. “I am very happy that my brother Chiranjeevi watched the Ustaad Bhagat Singh trailer and tweeted about it. For me, there is only one hero, Megastar Chiranjeevi. When I stand beside him, I forget that I am a hero myself,” he had said.

In the same interview with ANI, Pawan praised Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh. He also praised Manav Kaul-starrer Baramullah and recalled his experiences in Kahsmir in the late 1980s as he saw some tension rise in the Valley.

Meanwhile, on the professional front, Pawan Kalyan was last seen in Hari Hara Veera Mallu and They Call Him OG last year and Ustaad Bhagat Singh in 2026. The actor-politician will next feature in an untitled project by Surender Reddy. He hasn’t announced any other projects as yet.