Pawan Kalyan

Pawan Kalyan married Nandini in 1997. They separated in 1999 and divorced in 2008. He later married actress Renu Desai in January 2009 after their relationship began in 2001. They have two children, Akira Nandan and Aadhya, and divorced in 2012.

Kalyan married Anna Lezhneva, a Russian citizen, in September 2013 under the Special Marriage Act. They have two children, Polena Anjana Pawanova and Mark Shankar Pawanovich. Kalyan is the younger brother of actors Chiranjeevi and Nagendra Babu.

Kalyan made his acting debut in Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi in 1996. His early successes included Gokulamlo Seeta and Suswagatham, followed by six consecutive successful films. Tholi Prema established him as a leading actor and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu along with six Nandi Awards.

His run of popular films continued with Thammudu, Badri, and Kushi. He played a kickboxer in Thammudu, while Kushi became the highest-grossing Telugu film of its time and helped establish his youth-oriented screen image. In 2001, he became the first South Indian actor to endorse Pepsi.

Kalyan expanded his work behind the camera with Johnny in 2003, serving as its writer, director, and lead actor. He also wrote or developed screenplays, choreographed songs, coordinated stunts, and contributed playback vocals to several films.

After a period of mixed box-office results, Kalyan returned to major success with Jalsa in 2008. Directed by Trivikram Srinivas, the film became the highest-grossing Telugu film of that year. His later films Gabbar Singh and Attarintiki Daredi became major commercial successes and reinforced his reputation as a star with a large and loyal following.

Kalyan won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, the SIIMA Award for Best Actor, and the CineMAA Award for Best Actor for Gabbar Singh. Attarintiki Daredi, also directed by Trivikram Srinivas, became the highest-grossing Telugu film of its time despite a piracy leak before its theatrical release.

He stepped away from new film projects after Agnyaathavaasi in 2018 to concentrate on politics. He returned with Vakeel Saab in 2021, followed by Bheemla Nayak in 2022 and Bro in 2023. He also appeared in Hari Hara Veera Mallu and They Call Him OG, with Ustaad Bhagat Singh listed among his later projects.

Kalyan entered politics in 2008 as president of Yuvarajyam, the youth wing of the Praja Rajyam Party founded by his elder brother Chiranjeevi. He took a break from politics after the party merged with the Congress Party in 2011.

On 14 March 2014, Kalyan founded the Jana Sena Party. He supported the Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in the 2014 elections and campaigned against the Congress Party. His political work has included raising the Uddanam kidney disease crisis, opposing the proposed privatisation of the Dredging Corporation of India, and leading protests concerning farmers, land acquisition, illegal mining, and construction workers.

Jana Sena contested the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly election, while Kalyan lost contests in Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram. In the 2024 elections, he helped form an alliance among Jana Sena, the Telugu Desam Party, and the BJP. Jana Sena won all 21 Assembly seats and two parliamentary seats it contested, while Kalyan won the Pithapuram constituency by more than 70,000 votes.

He was sworn in as a minister in the Andhra Pradesh government on 12 June 2024 and was announced as Deputy Chief Minister on 14 June. His ministerial responsibilities include Panchayat Raj, rural development and rural water supply, environment, forests, science, and technology.

Kalyan holds a black belt in karate and has incorporated martial arts and stunt work into several films. He received the title "Pawan" after a public martial arts demonstration in 1997 and subsequently adopted the name Pawan Kalyan.

He founded the Common Man Protection Force in 2007 and has supported disaster relief, healthcare, education, farmers, soldiers, parasports, elderly people, orphans, and temples. He has also served as a brand ambassador for handloom weavers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and for the Jeevandan organ-donation initiative.

In August 2024, village council meetings were held in 13,326 villages under the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department led by Kalyan. The World Records Union recognised the event as a world record. He was also invited to speak at Harvard University's India Conference in 2017 alongside R. Madhavan.