Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi Konidela announced on social media that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The 65-year-old Stalin actor underwent testing as part of safety protocol before joining the sets of his upcoming movie, Acharya, he added in his post.
“Unfortunately tested positive. I am currently asymptomatic and quarantining myself at home,” he wrote, requesting all those who met him in the past five days to also undergo COVID test. “Will update you on my recovery soon,” the former Union Minister stated in a letter to fans and mediapersons.
On Saturday, Chiranjeevi ,along with actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, had met Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and handed over cheques towards the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) for relief operations in flood-hit areas of Hyderabad. Both Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna, who donated ₹1 crore and ₹50 lakh respectively, were seen without masks while having a conversation with Mr. Rao.
Directed by Koratala Siva and presented by Chiranjeevi’s actor-son Ram Charan under their home banner ‘Konidela Production Company’, Acharya’s shoot came to a halt in March due to COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.
Kajal Aggarwal, who recently got married to entrepreneur Gautam Kitchlu at a low-key affair wedding in Mumbai with only family members and close friends in attendance, is the female lead in the movie. There were reports that actor Trisha was supposed to be cast as the female lead, but due to creative differences with the makers, she walked out of the film.
The movie is scheduled to hit the silver screen in the second quarter of 2021. It was launched on October 8 last year on the occasion of Vijayadashami tentatively titled as #Chiru152.
Chiranjeevi’s last release was the period epic Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, which was released nationally in 2019.