January 28, 2007
Hyderabad

Chiranjeevi replied in the most emotional way today to reiterate that all the members of film industry are like family members. Speaking on this occasion Chiranjeevi said, “All of us in film industry are like family members. If somebody does a mistake, we solve the problem in closed doors. We don’t come out and wash the dirty linen in public. This function is to thank Telugu cine kalama talli that granted us this status. In the beginning of our careers, we struggled and could not even afford good food. We used wait for roles and chances in films. Let us not forget those days. When I visited Goa Film Festival, I did not see the photographs of NTR and ANR among the legends of Indian cinema list. The fame of Telugu cinema is not going beyond the borders of Andhra Pradesh. This function is an effort to show our power in Delhi. No other state boasts off more than 2000 theaters in India. We are one and we will remain to be one.”

Speaking about giving back his award, Chiranjeevi said, “When the committee said that they would be felicitating me under legend category, I resisted. But they insisted on it by quoting various reasons. I still feel that I am not eligible for legend status. I belong to my contemporaries like Bala Krishna, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu. I will receive this award later. I am going to keep the award in time capsule which will be opened again in 2032 for the 100 years anniversary of Telugu cinema.”