How Chiranjeevi Stopped 17-Year-Old Pawan Kalyan From Becoming A Naxalite

Andhra

Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan has recently revealed that he once seriously considered joining Naxalism during his teenage years. Speaking on a podcast recently, he said his anger over global injustices pushed him toward radical ideas, and he even attended jana sabhas and checked activist circles. However, he was slowly guided away from that path by his elder brother, actor Chiranjeevi. Pawan credited him for helping him redirect his energy into a more constructive direction, which later led him to spirituality, acting, which led to a successful film career.

How Chiranjeevi Helped Pawan Kalyan Step Away From Naxalism

In the ANI podcast with Smita Prakash, Pawan Kalyan shared that during his late teens, he was affected by global unrest and political violence. Incidents like apartheid in South Africa, the LTTE movement in Sri Lanka, Cold War tensions, and separatist movements worldwide influenced his thinking. During this phase, he even considered joining Naxalism and felt that taking up arms could be a way to respond to the world’s problems. Between the ages of 17 and 21, Pawan said he experimented with different forms of activism, and also travelled to Mumbai to participate in short film festivals and documentary work. Despite these efforts, he was searching for meaning but felt confused.

The turning point came when Chiranjeevi confronted him with a simple but powerful question about responsibility. "That’s when my brother entered the picture. He said only one thing. If your brother is 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,” said Pawan. The actor-politician said he then turned to spirituality before going to acting classes.

Pawan Kalyan's move towards films

In 1996, Pawan Kalyan made his film debut as Kalyan Babu with Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi. His first major breakthrough came with the 1998 film Tholi Prema, which established him as a leading star. He was recently seen in films Hari Hara Veera Mallu, They Call Him OG (2025), and Ustaad Bhagat Singh (2026) The actor-politician has also signed a yet-to-be-titled project directed by Surender Reddy, while other new films are yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi officially launched his 158th film, directed by Bobby Kolli, with Pawan Kalyan giving the first clap. The film marks a reunion after Waltair Veerayya. His brothers Pawan Kalyan and Nagababu attended the launch as chief guests.