Superstar Rajinikanth was the cynosure of all eyes at NTR 100 Years celebrations held in Vijayawada. Sharing the dais with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, actor and MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, Rajinikanth’s speech won the hearts of TDP fans as well Balayya fans.
Rajinikanth said, “Chandrababu Naidu garu is a very old friend of mine. I’ve known him for 30 years. It was my friend and actor Mohan Babu who introduced me to Chandrababu garu and he had told me back then that Chandrababu garu would become a great leader. Everytime I used to visit Hyderabad, I used to meet CBN garu and each time I spoke to him, my knowledge increased. He has a great vision and round the clock he thinks about people and how to serve them. Not just Indian politics, he is well aware of world politics. Chandrababu garu is forward thinker and ‘Deerga Darshi’. He is a visionary leader with foresight. These are not just my words. These are words of the tall politicians of the country. More than the people here, outside people know more about Chandrababu’s glory, achievements and talent.”
“This is the perfect example for Chandrbabu garu’s vision. In 1996-97, Chandrababu garu had come up with Vision 2020 and told how Information Technology has a bright future and how the world will become a digital world. He was the first person to talk about it when no one even heard about it. Not just his words, he proved it with his actions. He had turned Hyderabad into Hitech City and brought the likes of Bill Gates, global tycoons to Hyderabad and made global companies start their branches in Hyderabad. Lakhs of Telugu techies today are working in various countries like US, Australia because of Chandrbabu’s efforts and hardwork, vision back then,” added Rajinikanth heaping praises on Chandrababu.
“During the shooting of the Jailer movie in Hyderabad, I went towards Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills in the night. I visited these after 20 years. I was shocked to see the growth. I was wondering whether I was in India or New York. Shri Chandrasekhar Rao garu also talked about it. Chandrababu garu always gave me his appointment immediately whenever I asked for it. He never misses to wish me personally on my birthday no matter wherever I am he telephones me and greets me. He always thinks about people whether he is in power or not. Now that he is in opposition, he has already prepared a plan Vision 2047 for Andhra Pradesh by listing out developments for the state till 2047 as he is a leader with great foresight.”
Rajinikanth also praised Balakrishna. He said, “Balayya is an angry man. He is a very angry person. But he has a heart of a ball. He is so soft inside. He is doing great work as an actor and politician. I wish him to continue to act in great films and also serve people well.”
Rajinikanth said NTR is a legendary person and the world knows about him. “You know everything about the legend NTR. What new I can tell about him. I will talk about what was NTR’s influence on me and my career. will talk about my association and relation with legend NTR and what I had learnt from him. The first film that I watched in my life was Pathala Bhairavi in 1956-57 when I was about 6 to 7 years old. Pathala Bhairavi statue was imprinted on me. When I first turned as an actor, in the very first shot the first dialogue was on Bhairavi. Balachandar garu wrote it. Later when I was approached to become a hero, I was so reluctant. But the title suggested was Bhairavi and I accepted it. I first saw NTR garu in Bangalore in 1963 at Minerva theatre where he came for the silver jubilee success of Lava Kusa movie. I was 13-year-old and the crowd was huge. Someone in the crowd had lifted me up and that’s when I saw him for the first time with my own eyes directly. He wore a silk shirt and cooling glasses.”
Rajini went on to recall his association with legend NTR. “I watched NTR’s performance as Duryodhana in Sri Krishna Pandaveeyam in 1966 and I was shell-shocked by his acting and dialogue delivery. I practiced his dialogues and I learnt Telugu through these dialogues. Later I became a bus conductor in 1983 and during the anniversary event I played the Duryodhana character and I exactly imitated NTR garu. Huge claps came from the audience and all my friends came up to me and suggested that I should become an actor and encouraged me that I’ll become a great villain. That’s when I joined a film institute and became an actor.” Rajini stated that because of NTR he became an actor and hero. Rajini showed his humbleness and down-to-earth nature and heaped praises on NTR, Chandrababu and Balakrishna. The grand success of NTR 100 Years celebrations brought a new boost to the TDP cadre.
Tags Chandrababu Naidu Rajinikanth