Chiru trimming up for his 150th venture

Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: With his next feature film set to be launched in January 2011, actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi is now busy losing weight, the extra kilos he has put on over the last four years since his last film Shankar Dada Zindabad (remake of Lagey Raho Munna Bhai). Chiranjeevi visited the US recently reportedly for a liposuction treatment as part of the weight reduction programme. Fatty foods are now off his menu and Chiranjeevi is mostly taking nutritional drinks these days to keep himself "fit" for his 150th silver screen venture, one of his aides said. The audience at an audio release function here the other day was pleasantly surprised to see a "trim" Chiru, as he is fondly called, clad in a sleek jeans trouser and white shirt. The Telugu Megastar quit films after a 30-year career in August 2008 and launched the Praja Rajyam Party. He, however, made it clear while launching the political outfit that he might don the grease paint again to feature in films that carried a social message. On his son and upcoming actor Ramcharan Tej's prodding, Chiru made a guest appearance in Magadheera starring Tej last year, that went on to become a blockbuster. Now, Charan himself will be producing a full-length feature film with his father. Though the film is expected to go to the sets in January, Chiranjeevi is still scouting for the right script that befits his new stature as a politician. Apart from the script, the increasing flab in his body has been a major concern for 56-year-old Chiranjeevi, who was left with the only option of cutting it. "One can't imagine a Chiranjeevi film without his trendy dances and stylish stunts. Obviously his body should be in the right shape for that and hence he is consciously doing everything in that direction," a key aide of the actor said. Following a weight-reduction regimen is not new to Chiranjeevi. Even during the late part of his career in the late 1990s when he was doing one film after the other, Chiru had to cut his flab. "It happened when Chiru did films like Mrugaraju and Daddy though he once again looked stout in movies like Stalin and Shankar Dada Zindabad. Now again he is keen on regaining the old charming looks," the aide pointed out. Praja Rajyam sources say Chiranjeevi has stopped eating even biscuits at the party meetings and has been taking only liquid diet specially brought from home. With a younger lot of stars with six-pack bodies and lanky physiques ruling the tinsel town, Chiranjeevi certainly has a task on hand in his silver-screen re-coming.