Many leading film celebrities attended the first-ever World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) that began at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurating the event. Among the attendees on Thursday was Chiranjeevi who partook in a special panel discussion. On the occasion, Chiranjeevi spoke about the influences of Kamal Haasan on his career, especially in his pursuit of dancing.
Talking about his childhood, Chiranjeevi stated, “In my childhood, I used to dance in front of my friends and my family members. They used to encourage me. Due to my inclination towards acting, I moved to Chennai with a dream. As there were already many superstars in the Telugu film industry, I kept asking myself what unique quality I could bring to become a star."
The Vishwambhara actor explained how stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Mithun Chakraborty influenced his journey and career. He added, “I saw Mithun Da’s performance in Mrigayaa in 1977 while I was studying acting; it was so natural. I decided to keep things natural and connect with people as the boy next door. For action, I was influenced by Amitabh Bachchan ji’s daring stunts, which made me want to do my own stunts. For dance, Kamal Haasan was my inspiration. I learned from all of them and worked hard to become who I am today.”
Chiranjeevi shared the stage with the likes of Hema Malini and Mohanlal, while Akshay Kumar moderated the discussion. Other film personalities attending the summit on Thursday were Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, Nagarjuna, and Allu Arjun, amongst others.
The WAVES Summit will be a four-day event and will continue in Mumbai until May 4.