With many flops behind him, 'Power Star' Pawan Kalyan found himself skating at the edge of a precipice, his career as a Telugu film hero hanging by a slender thread.
Ambitious projects to which he had applied himself assiduously like Panjaa and Puli nosedived at the box office. Theenmaar only managed to break even.
Pawan desperately needed a hit to resuscitate his career. And then came Gabbar Singh, a remake of the Salman Khan-Hindi superhit Dabangg. Pawan Kalyan and his fans had, at last, something to cheer about. Gabbar Singh stormed the box office with record collections not just in India but overseas as well. Gabbar Singh has been instrumental in giving the popular hero a new lease of life.
Pawan Kalyan, born Kondela Kalyan Babu, is the younger brother of megastar Chiranjeevi. Following in his footsteps, Pawan set out to establish his career in Telugu cinema.
The tall, slim, fair and handsome hero made his debut with the film Akkada Ammayi Ikkade Abbayi, but was noticed by audiences in the national award winning film Tholi Prema. Tholi Prema featured Pawan and Keerthi Reddy in the lead.
The film where the young actor played the role of a vagrant wastrel turned out to be a huge success at the box office and had a year-long run. In the wake of its success came films like Gokulamlo Seetha and Suswagatham, which enabled Pawan to get a secure foothold in Telugu cinema.
Keen to exhibit his martial arts background Pawan also worked in the film Thammudu, where he essayed the role of a kick boxer.
He also had the distinction of playing the hero in Badri. Pawan Kalyan also landed plum roles in films like S J Suryah's Kushi, Trivikram Srinivas Jalsa, and in a number of family entertainers like Gudumba Shankar, Balu ABCDEFG, Annavaram and Bangaram.
After the release of Kushi, Pawan took a two-year sabbatical from acting and sprinted off to Japan to hone his fighting skills and to attain proficiency in the Japanese martial art, aikido.
There was a specific reason for him to do so and that was to venture into direction, which he did with Johnny, a film that showcased martial arts in all its glory. Pawan played an orphan who becomes a martial arts coach and falls in love with the heroine, who is found to be suffering from cancer.
The film, which had pathos as its theme, belied the expectations of the audience. But for the ably choreographed stunt sequences, the film had little else to offer.
Pawan, today, is an actor, director, a screenplay specialist, stunt director, playback singer and a choreographer too. He has been able to distinguish himself in all these departments. He has coordinated the stunt sequences for as many as seven movies including his brother Chiranjeevi's Daddy, and has also choreographed the dance sequences in a number of his films.
The year 2011 was a year of heartbreak for the young actor, for, success eluded him as his films crashed at the box-office. He had placed a lot of hope on films like Theenmaar, where, for the first time in his career, he played two contrasting characters. The film turned out to be a damp squib. Panjaa, directed by ace Tamil director Vishnuvardhan, also met the same fate as it was shunned by audiences.
Puli, directed by S J Suryah, who had directed Pawan's an earlier film Kushi, fared no
better.
The new year, however, has begun on an optimistic note. With Gabbar Singh erasing several box office records, Pawan is back in action. Puri Jagannath's film titled Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu and Prince of Peace are two films that he is presently shooting for.
Although action has been his forte all along, Pawan Kalyan also has a penchant for humour. Some of his comedy-oriented films have done well at the box-office.
His dancing abilities too have enabled him to gain favour with the masses. With Chiranjeevi having flung himself headlong into politics, the stage is set for his brother Pawan to carry the family banner aloft. And in that quest, he is certain to have the assistance of Chiranjeevi's son, Ramcharan Teja, and nephew Allu Arjun, both established heroes in their own right.