Chiranjeevi refutes N Balakrishna's claim that Jagan Mohan Reddy had humiliated his delegation when the latter was the chief minister.
Published Sep 26, 2025 | 1:00 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2025 | 1:00 PM
File picture of Nandamuri Balakrishna and Chiranjeevi.
Synopsis: Did Jagan Mohan Reddy belittle Chiranjeevi when he was the chief minister? Actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna claimed that Jagan did not show the respect due to the Tollywood legend. Chiranjeevi, however, differed, much to the glee of the YSRCP.
The mercury in the political barometer shot up in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday, 25 September, when Hindupur MLA and film actor Nandamuri Balakrishna made remarks that apparently belittled Tollywood legend Chiranjeevi.
Balakrishna was reacting to BJP MLA Kamineni Srinivas, who recalled that the then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had allegedly insulted a Chiranjeevi-led delegation of film industry leaders in 2020. Srinivas portrayed Jagan as deriving sadistic pleasure from putting others down, while praising Chiranjeevi.
Balakrishna, however, countered. His sharpest words were aimed at both Srinivas and Jagan. He dismissed Srinivas’s account as “a complete lie”.
“No one raised their voice. Jagan did not bow because Chiranjeevi insisted. Chiranjeevi was never firm with Jagan,” he said with biting sarcasm, downplaying the megastar’s influence.
He went further, describing Jagan as a “psycho” who humiliated the delegation. This remark triggered protests from YSRCP cadres outside the House, as their MLAs were absent from the Assembly. They reminded the public that Jagan and his wife had personally hosted Chiranjeevi. Later, Jagan received the delegation, they said.
Srinivas, however, has a different version. He said Jagan had invited Chiranjeevi and others, yet insulted them by not allowing their cars into the premises of his residence and keeping them waiting. They were then told to meet the cinematography minister.
Only after Chiranjeevi objected did Jagan agree to meet the delegation. His version drew murmurs of approval from the Treasury benches before Balakrishna cut him short.
Balakrishna also expressed resentment over being ranked ninth on the Film Development Corporation’s delegate list for a recent meeting with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He targeted Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh of thehe Jana Sena, demanding: “Who wrote such nonsense?”
For Balakrishna, the placement was not a clerical order but a deliberate snub.
The Assembly drama soon spilled beyond. Chiranjeevi, currently abroad, issued a statement that carefully but firmly contradicted Balakrishna.
The 70-year-old star, known for restraint, explained the 2020 context: producers struggling with rising costs had sought his intervention. After consultations, he met Jagan on invitation.
COVID-19 restrictions capped the delegation to five, later expanded to 10, and Chiranjeevi had even tried involving Balakrishna through producer Gemini Kiran, albeit unsuccessfully.
Chiranjeevi insisted the meeting was cordial. “Jagan treated us with respect. He honored our requests,” he said.
The outcome was a hike in ticket prices, which later benefited films like his Waltair Veerayya and Balakrishna’s Veerasimha Reddy, among others.
In a subtle rebuke, Chiranjeevi reminded: “It is my nature to be polite, whether with a chief minister or a common man. I speak with mutual respect.”
His words dismantled Balakrishna’s narrative and diluted months of rhetoric from TDP-Jana Sena leaders, who had used the 2020 episode as proof of Jagan’s “arrogance.”
This was most prominent in Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s campaign speeches.
“Even my brother Chiranjeevi was insulted,” Kalyan had declared in April 2024, framing the episode as emblematic of Jagan’s contempt for cultural icons. The line became rallying fodder for the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance, which ousted YSRCP in June 2024.
But Chiranjeevi’s clarification—“I was not humiliated”—punctures that campaign plank. YSRCP leaders quickly seized the moment. Former minister Perni Nani wrote online: “Chiranjeevi’s truth exposes TDP’s lies—Jagan welcomed them with open arms.”
The incident now embarrasses the TDP, risks unsettling Jana Sena, and deepens coalition unease. Balakrishna’s broadside at Durgesh, a Jana Sena minister, adds to the discomfort.
As Amaravati braces for the fallout, the spat highlights how cinema and politics collide in Andhra Pradesh. The verbal duel between Balakrishna and Chiranjeevi could not have come at a worse time as the first priority of Chief Minister Naidu is tackling the state’s financial woes.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
