Here are some of the superstitions of Tollywood actors including Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal

From Samantha to Mahesh Babu, many leading actors seem to follow some habits that they believe bring luck
Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal
Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal

In showbiz, a random stroke of luck can get you fame, but often it's hard work and talent that makes you what you are. Still, whether you are a megastar or a superstar, most still tend to have some small belief in luck. Here's a look at some among the bevy of stars in Telugu cinema who follow some secret yet strange habits that they believe help continue their success streak in the industry.

Treading the holy path

Samantha Akkineni has made it a yearly tradition to visit Lord Balaji’s abode in Tirumala on foot. The 32-year-old actor climbed the 3,500 steps from Alipiri to Tirumala shrine to offer prayers to the lord ahead of the release of her recent outings, Majili and Oh Baby. She also visited Tirumala after the release of her latest film, Jaanu.

Blockbuster beard

After directing his second film, K Raghavendra Rao has developed the habit of not shaving his beard from the first day of the shoot of his new film. He visits Tirumala only after the shoot is done, and then shaves his beard. He's also known for his obsession with throwing fruits or flowers at the waist of his leading ladies while picturising some of his chartbuster songs. The veteran also makes it a point to have his post-nominals (BA degree) listed on the title credits of his films. Interestingly, Rao’s disciple and Baahubali-fame SS Rajamouli and director VN Aditya too follow the veteran and opt not to shave until the completion of their films.

The Superstitious star

Mahesh Babu doesn’t attend the formal launch ceremony of his films and makes sure that all his movies have three-letter titles. He also pays a visit to the dargahs in Ajmer Sherif and Ameenpeer before the release of his films. In addition to this, he ensures his films are released in Sudarshan 35 mm, RTC X Roads and tries to visit the theatre on the first day to watch the movie with the masses. 

Pray for success

Late producer D Ramanaidu’s favourite shrine was Tirumala and the veteran used to visit the Lord’s abode with the first copy of his film before travelling to Vijayawada to watch it with the masses. After his death, his elder son and producer Suresh Babu has been continuing the tradition. Like Ramanaidu, producers Dil Raju and Bandla Ganesh make it a point to offer prayers at the Balaji temple before the release of their films. A few days before his film is released, producer Bellamkonda Suresh visits the Peddamma temple (Jubilee Hills) and performs pooja with his family members.

White is right

Chiranjeevi believes it is good luck for his films to have a rain song in them. He continued this habit until Tagore (2003). The Megastar also tends to wear white trousers at least once in one of the songs of his films. Like Chiru, Kajal Aggarwal likes wearing a white costume for the opening scene of her films and this has become a sentiment for her post the stupendous success of Magadheera (2009).

Handle with ‘car’e

Whenever actor-producer Lakshmi Manchu steps out, she always reverses her car first and then steers ahead quickly. Actor Jr NTR has an obsession with the number 9999, which he inherited from his late grandfather and legendary actor Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao (NTR). The 36-year-old actor owns an impressive line-up of cars and all of them have the same number, 9999. Even his Twitter handle is ‘tarak9999’.

Balayya’s manual

Balakrishna begins the shooting of his new film with an action sequence choreographed by stunt master duo Ram-Lakshman. The actor also changes his make-up assistant before the shoot of his films begins.

Beach bonding

Director Puri Jagannadh has the quirky habit of writing all his scripts on the beach of Pattaya (Thailand). He pays two visits to the city — once to get the scenes in order and the second time to write the full version with dialogues. He also ensures that either a scene or a song in his films is shot there. Veteran director Vamsi has a similar sentiment of shooting his films on the banks of the river Godavari.

All about the number

Rakul Preet Singh doesn’t prefer to have script discussions on the eighth day of any month. Her lucky numbers are one and three, and the actor likes to calculate the total of the numerical sum of the dates before starting any assignment.

Sentiment booster

Nagarjuna is an ardent devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba. He makes it a point to visit Baba's temple located at Panjagutta before the release of his film, albeit secretly in the wee hours. He offered prayers and meditated at the temple steps when his father and legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao was ailing. It was after taking his suggestion that Mahesh Babu started visiting the divine shrine of Sai Baba in Shirdi at least once a year. What’s more interesting is that the superstar also has a sacred orange thread tied on the wrist of his right hand.

Staying out of the limelight

Music composer Mani Sharma does not attend the audio release functions of his films. In his career spanning over two decades, he has made an exception only once when he attended the music release of Devadas (2018) at the urging of his producer C Ashwini Dutt.

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