Salman Khan is very excited about Chiranjeevi turning 70. “He is 70 but looks 40. I envy his fitness and his unstoppable position as a crowd pleaser.”
The friendship between Salman Khan and Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan seems far more cinematic than anything that they do together on screen. At the 60th birthday bash for Telugu matinee idol Chiranjeevi organized by son Ram Charan Teja at the Park Hyatt in Hyderabad, Salman Khan flew in from Mumbai on a private jet and had himself a ball. Salman danced to a medley of Chiranjeevi’s hits on stage. Chiranjeevi was thrilled to bits.
Telugu cinema’s veteran superstar Chiranjeevi and Salman Khan have always been close. In fact when Ram Charan Teja was shooting in Mumbai for his Hindi debut Zanjeer in 2012, Ram Charan’s lunch was sent from Salman Khan’s home every day. Ever single day, without fail.
Ram Charan told me there would be so much food from Salman’s kitchen during the shooting of Zanjeer that the entire unit could enjoy the delicacies.
Reasoned Salman, “They (Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan) do the same for me(send homecooked home) when I am shooting in Hyderabad. This is what you do for family, right?”
Salman found another way to honour Chiranjeevi. In Dabangg 3 when Salman did his first “item song” entitled ‘Munna badnaam huak, a male version of the popular ‘Munni badnaam hui’ performed in the first Dabangg film by Malaika Arora, on Salman’s insistence choreographer-director Prabhu Deva incorporated Chiranjeevi’s celebrated “Veena step” where he glides in the shape of the Indian musical instrument , the Veena.
When Salman made a guest appearance in Chiranjeevi’s Godfather and Acharya, he refused to charge a single penny. And when Chiranjeevi insisted on a token remuneration, Salman threatened to go back home to Mumbai without shooting.
The song ‘Ventamma’ in Salman’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan had a very special appearance by Ram Charan. The RRR actor refused to accept Salman’s generous fee for the song appearance.Ram Charan’s bump-and-grind gesture was in reciprocation to Salman’s extended guest appearance in Ram Charan’s father Chiranjeevi’s Acharya.
Apparently, Salman has sent a very expensive gift to Chiranjeevi on his 70th birthday, with the promise to celebrate together as soon as he can fly down to Hyderabad.
