Power star Pawan Kalyan, a name that needs no introduction anywhere in the whole of AP. Born as Konidela Kalyan Babu on this day way back in 1971, Kalyan Babu is the younger brother of actor turned politician Chiranjeevi. Making his film debut with the 1996 film Akkada Ammai Ikkada Abbai, Pawan Kalyan exploded onto the Telugu screen with a resounding bang. His martial arts stunts set off a new frenzy and interest in the youth of the state to pursue martial arts training. An average debut was nothing compared to what followed. Pawan Kalyan established an almost unassailable record delivering six hits back-to-back.

 

Pawan is adored and near worshipped as a Demigod by his many fans. A true superstar and a very kind person at heart, Pawan Kalyan is a highly popular youth icon. His craze and countless fans stand testament to his character. On the occasion of his birthday, let us take a look at 5 of his best movies.

 

1. Tholi Prema

A Karunakaran’s directional debut, Tholi Prema catapulted Pawan Kalyan to super stardom. The peppy and cute love story was the starting point of so many trends in the young urban culture in the state. The songs were a major success and contributed greatly to the success of the movie. The film went on to notch up a national award and six Nandi awards. Pawan Kalyan was now a force to reckon within the industry.

 

2. Thammudu

 The Tollywood version of Aamir Khan’s hit ‘Jo jeeta woh Sikandar’; Thammudu was another major break in Pawan’s career. This film gave Pawan his loyal fan base which is increasing exponentially even to this day. The story managed to explicitly portray the dreams and aspirations of an average youngster who dreamt big. The songs and Pawan’s character connected immensely with the youth of the state and major audiences even outside the state. Pawan Kalyan had cemented his place in the hearts of the audience.

 

3. Badri

A typical Puri Jagannadh flick long before the audience even knew who Puri Jagannadh was. Badri told the story of a Gen-X youngster who falls in love with two girls and has a hard time committing to only one of them. Badri saw some catchy dialogue and powerful scenes between Prakash Raj and Pawan Kalyan. This film also saw Pawan helming technical duties behind the camera for the first time. Pawan himself handled the song and action choreography for the movie.

 

4. Kushi

Tamil director, SJ Surya’s most popular romantic flick to date, Kushi introduced brand new trends for the youth of the state to follow. The soul touching music was a major asset for the movie and this movie managed to break all previous box office records. Kushi remained Pawan Kalyan’s biggest film commercially for nearly a decade.

 

5. Gabbar Singh

 The biggest hit of the Telugu film industry so far, Gabbar Singh ended Pawan Kalyan’s long dry spell and gave him his biggest hit yet. The movie is a remake of the successful Bollywood film, Dabangg. Helmed by director Harish Shankar, Gabbar Singh was a long overdue treat for the fans. This movie finally got Pawan Kalyan his first Filmfare award.

 

I know what you are all thinking. The omission of Trivikram’s verbal wonder was intentional. ‘Jalsa’ was a special film and remains one of the most popular movies to have been broadcasted on television. A successful audio track also makes it a contender for a spot in the above list. However, ‘Jalsa’ was just a fair hit. It was nowhere close to the scale of hit that Pawan Kalyan is normally accustomed to. But quite frankly, ‘Jalsa’ also deserves mention among Pawan Kalyan’s best movies.