Renowned Telugu filmstar and Jana Sena Party (JSP) supremo Konidela Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Here's a brief account of the popular actor-turned-politician's journey in the realms of film and politics so far.
Pawan Kalyan: Journey in film industry
55-year-old Pawan Kalyan, born as Konidela Kalyan Babu, first came under limelight in 1996 after his worked on his first film, Akkada Abbai Ikkada Ammayi. Kumar is the younger brother of eminent actor Chiranjeevi and Nagendra Babu.
Kalyan further rose to prominence with the dramas Gokulamlo Seeta (1997) and Suswagatham (1998) before he achieved stardom for his brilliant performance in Tholi Prema (1998).
Some of his other well-accepted works include Thammudu (1999), Badri (2000), Balu (2005), Jalsa (2008), Gabbar Singh (2012), Attarintiki Daredi (2013), Gopala Gopala (2015) and Bheemla Nayak (2022).
Pawan Kalyan: The politician
Besides tasting remarkable success in the film industry, Kalyan entered the world of politics in 2008 when he was made the president of Yuva Rajyam, the youth wing of Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) started by his elder brother Chiranjeevi.
Despite never contesting polls, Kalyan actively campaigned for the party. Later, he paused his active participation as Chiranjeevi merged his party with the Congress Party.
Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Pawan Kalyan announced the political outfit Jana Sena Party spearheaded by him. While his party did not contest the polls, he allied with TDP and the BJP.
In 2016, Kumar took the decision to contest the 2019 elections on his own. However, the party managed to win in just one seat and Kalyan lost polls from both seats of Bhimavaram in West Godavari district and Gajuwaka in Visakhapatnam.
In the 2024 elections, Kalyan once again joined hands with the TDP and BJP and witnessed a landslide victory in both the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.
Pawan Kalyan, in his third marriage, is married to Anna Lezhneva, a Russian model and actress. Earlier, he was earlier married to Nandini and Renu Desai.
