Fans are his biggest strength and it is they who will be largely responsible in making him a hero in politics too. Chiranjeevi [Images], who has done 148 movies so far, has taken the plunge into politics and his fans are ecstatic about it.

Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam starts with a bang

They swear to stand by their hero and ensure that he becomes the next chief minister of the state.

Fans go to any extent to display love for their hero. Meet this family, who are die-hard fans of Chiranjeevi. A husband, wife and their two children have been sitting outside Chiranjeevi's office in Jubilee Hills since the past 7 days.

Superstar Chiranjeevi's swanky party office

They say they will not leave the place until they meet the star. For them, even if they get to talk to him for 30 seconds, it's enough.

Raghu, his wife Padma Gowru and their two children, Yogeshwari and Mamatha, have come all the way to Hyderabad from Kammam, which is 200 kilometres from Hyderabad.

Raghu, who works with a financial company, had applied for leave before coming to Hyderabad.

Chiranjeevi's grand entry into politics

Our entire family are huge fans of Chiranjeevi. We have nothing to ask him and neither do we need any favours. We just want to shake hands with him and have a word with him.

Padma says she has watched all of Chiranjeevi's 148 movies. "I also played a very small part in his movie Mutta Mesthri. There was a scene, which showed a school, and I was one of the children in that scene. It will be an honour to meet the star."  

"My children are here with me since the past seven days and they have missed school. They will stay put with us until we meet him."

Raghu says they come in at 7 am everyday and return to their lodge by 10 pm. "We have already spent Rs 20,000 and I do not care about the amount as long as we get to meet our hero."

Text & Photograph: Vicky Nanjappa