Pawan Kalyan’s Real Name: How The Power Star Got His Iconic Name Before Films & Politics

Pawan Kalyan is one of Telugu cinema’s biggest stars and a prominent political leader. But his journey to becoming the ‘Power Star’ began with a different name, before he embraced his iconic identity.

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The interesting story behind Pawan Kalyan's name

Pawan Kalyan is a household name, especially in the Telugu states. He's known as 'Power Star' to movie buffs and 'Janasenani' to his political supporters. It's no exaggeration to say he has one of the biggest fan bases in Indian cinema. His political strength was proven in the recent Andhra Pradesh elections. The name itself has become a massive brand. But here's a fun fact: Pawan Kalyan is not his birth name. As we celebrate his birthday, let's explore the interesting story behind his name.

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What is Pawan Kalyan's real name?

Pawan Kalyan was born on September 2, 1971, in Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh. His father is Konidela Venkata Rao and his mother is Anjana Devi. He was their youngest child. His parents named him Kalyan Kumar. Since his father, Venkata Rao, was an excise police officer, the Konidela family had to move to many places. This is how Kalyan Kumar, born in Bapatla, did his schooling in Nellore. Later, he lived with his brother Chiranjeevi in Chennai, where he completed his higher education. When the film industry shifted from Chennai to Hyderabad, Pawan also moved to Hyderabad with his brother.

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How did the name Kalyan Kumar change to Pawan Kalyan?

Growing up watching his father Venkata Rao and brother Chiranjeevi, Kalyan Kumar was always focused on fitness. He believed self-defence was very important and learned martial arts, specifically Karate. A guru, recognising his talent, gave him the name 'Pawan'. He was quick and powerful like the wind ('pawan'), so his guru affectionately called him that. When he entered films, this name was used for publicity. Kalyan Kumar was introduced in the movie 'Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi', directed by E.V.V. Satyanarayana. The name 'Pawan Kalyan' was used for the first time in this film, and it stuck.

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From film hero to Deputy CM... Pawan Kalyan's journey

Pawan Kalyan's film career wasn't always a smooth ride. In the beginning, films like 'Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi', 'Gokulamlo Seetha', 'Suswagatham', 'Tholi Prema', 'Thammudu', 'Badri', and 'Kushi' were huge hits. But then, movies like 'Johnny', 'Gudumba Shankar', 'Balu', 'Bangaram', and 'Annavaram' flopped one after another. Despite facing failures for over a decade, his fan following never dropped. Films like 'Jalsa', 'Gabbar Singh', and 'Attarintiki Daredi' put him back on the success track, and he hasn't looked back since. When his brother Chiranjeevi started the Praja Rajyam Party, Pawan played a key role. Even after Chiranjeevi left politics, Pawan continued. He started his own Jana Sena Party and kept going. He faced many setbacks in politics but never gave up, fighting on public issues for ten years. In the last assembly elections, his Jana Sena Party won with a 100% strike rate, and Pawan Kalyan became the Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh.