Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan has said that he will complete three of his pending projects while simultaneously holding office. The projects were put on hold owing to the Andhra Pradesh elections, voting for which was held on May 13.
While it remains unclear if Kalyan will take up new projects, he will reportedly star in the films “Hari Hara Veera Mallu’, ‘OG’ and ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’-- projects he had taken on before winning the elections.
"First, I want to concentrate on making this constituency [Pithapuram] better. No one should fault me for at least not filling potholes or building new roads. What will I do if someone questions why I'm busy shooting for 'OG' instead?," he said on July 4 addressing his fans.
Aside from being the Deputy CM, Pawan Kalyan is responsible for two ministers in Andhra Pradesh: Panchayati Raj, Rural Development & Rural Water Supply, Environment, Forest, and Science & Technology. The post was a result of his Jana Sena party winning 21 MLA seats and 2 Lok Sabha seats in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
‘Hari Hara Veera Mallu’ producer AM Rathnam stated that he was hoping to release the movie by the end of this year. The film announced in 2019 was delayed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Pawan Kalyan’s political aspirations. OG and Ustaad Bhagat Singh are likely to be released in 2025.
Pawan Kalyan is not the first politician to indicate that he would continue acting while holding a ministerial post. Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin, who last appeared in director Mari Selvaraj’s Maamannan, had said that he might make a return to the silver screen after three years, when his tenure as minister ends. Kannada actor Ambareesh, who was the housing minister between 2013 and 2016, has acted in films while he was holding the portfolio. Union Minister of State Kerala Suresh Gopi, who became the lone Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate to win the Lok Sabha elections from Kerala, has also expressed his interest to continue acting in films, announcing a few projects.
However, several actors who forayed into politics moved away from acting. Tamil actor turned politician Vijay, announced in July 2023 that he would quit acting once he entered politics. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers MG Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalithaa also ceased to act once they became Chief Ministers. While former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder NT Rama Rao (NTR) did not act while in office, he acted in a few movies between 1989 and 1993 when he served as the leader of opposition in the state.
Pawan Kalyan’s elder brother, popular Telugu actor Chiranjeevi, had also took a break from acting once he was sworn in as the Union Tourism Minister in 2012. When his political career hit a roadblock, he returned to cinema in 2017 with his 150th release Khaidi No. 150.
It is worth noting that several prominent faces from the Telugu film industry like actors Nani, Chiranjeevi and Kalyan’s nephews Sai Dharma Tej, Varun Tej and Ram Charan Teja extended their support to Pawan Kalyan and his Jana Sena party ahead of the Andhra Pradesh elections.