Pawan Kalyan reacts to comparisons with Vijay after Chiranjeevi's warm phone call with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Actor and Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Pawan Kalyan spoke about how he's being compared to actor and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay.

Ever since Tamil superstar C Joseph Vijay became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the internet couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Telugu star and Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan. Speaking to his party cadres in Mangalariri, Pawan responded that people have been pressuring him. This comes a day after his brother, Chiranjeevi, had a warm phone call with Vijay.

The internet couldn't help but draw comparisons between Vijay and Pawan Kalyan.

Pawan Kalyan reacts to comparisons with Vijay

Speaking to party cadres at Jana Sena’s headquarters in Mangalagiri, Pawan remarked without taking Vijay’s name, “Ever since the Tamil Nadu elections and him becoming Chief Minister, people are pressuring me.” He also added, “In our neighbouring state, an actor established a party and became the Chief Minister. A lot of people have since messaged me that I should’ve done the same in Andhra Pradesh.”

He used a Telugu idiom to describe the situation, stating, “Uru lo pelli ki…edo hadavidi antaru kada (Like unnecessary excitement for a neighbour’s wedding). It’s like how little children run around, unaware it’s not their family wedding. The situation in Andhra Pradesh is different. As they said, I contested in the 2019 election. What did they do? Even the Ministers didn’t stick by me. So, don’t compare.”

Chiranjeevi’s warm phone call with Vijay

In the meantime, Chiranjeevi’s team revealed on Friday that the Megastar had a ‘warm and cordial’ phone call with Vijay on Thursday. “On this occasion, Megastar Chiranjeevi extended his heartfelt congratulations to Mr Vijay upon his assumption of office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He expressed his hope that Mr Vijay would forever remain etched in the hearts of the people of Tamil Nadu through people-centric governance, and that he would garner the love and affection of the masses, much like the late, great leader MGR,” read their note.

The note further revealed that Vijay praised Chiranjeevi’s recent release, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, and thanked the Telugu star for supporting him during the Jana Nayagan leak. “In turn, Mr Vijay expressed his gratitude to Megastar Chiranjeevi. He mentioned that he had recently watched the film Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu and felt immense joy seeing Chiranjeevi on the silver screen; he also thanked him for the support extended regarding the piracy issue concerning Jana Nayagan. Furthermore, he conveyed his best wishes for Chiranjeevi's upcoming film, which is being produced under the KVN Productions banner.”

Pawan last starred in Ustaad Bhagat Singh this year. He has a film with Surender Reddy lined up. Chiranjeevi last starred in Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu this year and has films with Srikanth Odela and Bobby lined up, in addition to Vishwambhara. Vijay, last seen in the 2024 film The Greatest of All Time. His final film, Jana Nayagan, has yet to receive CBFC certification, having been delayed since its January release.