"A crucial qualification needs to be made while dealing with the star phenomenon. As far as the superstars of the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films are concerned, all the superstars, with the lone exception of MGR, be it Sivaji Ganesan, N T Rama Rao, Nageshwara Rao or Rajkumar, have exhibited pronounced histrionic talents capturing the imagination of their respective communities. It is only MGR who, as a superstar, brought in an ideological element into the being of a hero. It cannot be said about the others that they were as shaped by a strong ideological consciousness as MGR was by the DMK movement. The epithet Vaadyar (teacher) given to MGR supports this".

N Manu Chakravarthy, noted Kannada critic and writer in an article on Rajkumar.

So where does Chiranjeevi stand?

Is he just a hero or a hero and a leader like MGR, NTR and Rajkumar, the trinity of southern cinema?

The fading away of NTR has paved the way for the emergence of Chiranjeevi as a modern-day idol in Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh today is entirely different from the Andhra Pradesh of the early '80s, when NTR rose to political fame.

The insensitive and autocratic behaviour of Congress bosses in Delhi had hurt Telugu pride. The high command treated Congress chief ministers like doormats.

People were waiting for a leader who could teach a lesson to the arrogant Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her immature

son Rajeev Gandhi. N T Rama Rao appeared on the political scene of Andhra like a messiah.

He rode to power not just on the strength of his popularity in films. He defeated the Congress and restored the honour of the Telugu people. He cashed in on the hurt feelings of his people. NTR's image as a demigod also helped him to become chief minister within eight months of launching Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The scene is now different. The state has made a remarkable progress in several fields. Telugus are now a proud, self-assured community. They live and work all over the world.

The political bosses in Delhi no longer dare dictate terms to them. Emotive issues like Telugu pride will be of no use to Chiranjeevi now. He is aware of it. Which is why he spoke about the development of Andhra Pradesh on his party launch day.

NTR's son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu's nine-year rule ended because people in the rural areas felt neglected. Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy led the Congress to victory in 2004.

Naidu is still struggling to come to terms with his defeat and has failed as an opposition leader. His performance in the last four years is miserable. Simultaneously, large sections are disappointed with the rule of YSR.

Some people say his government is more corrupt than the government of Naidu. Chiranjeevi is now trying to exploit this opportunity. He is trying to create an alternative to the Congress and the TDP.

Chiranjeevi's tremendous star appeal goes hand in hand with his down-to-earth nature. It has been nearly 30 years since Chiranjeevi made his debut in Telugu films. Like Rajnikanth, he showed good acting potential in his early movies. His roles as an angry young man, a rebel, and a social reformer brought him close to the hearts and minds of people. He has carved a niche for himself without being preachy.

Ever since he was branded a mega star after the phenomenal success of Marana Mridanga in 1988, his larger-than-life film persona started to take a toll.

He had become a prisoner of his own image till he launched his party. Expectations people reached a new high with each movie. Such sycophancy is peculiar to Tamil, Telugu and Kannada cinema. In fact, Dravidian politics is rooted in the personality cult.

As journalist S Murari says, "MGR ... never had political ambitions, though he was elected MLC and MLA. In his formative years, he needed the Dravidian platform as the base for his films. At one stage, he transcended it and created a massive fan following of his own that cut across party lines. Annadurai knew how to make use of him. Karunanidhi made the blunder of sending him out for fear that he might emerge as a future threat to him. The rest, as they say, is history ".

When Chiranjeevi made his political ambitions clear a year ago, the shocked Congress and TDP tried to woo him to their parties. But he maintained a safe distance from both.

Chiranjeevi's entry is now seen as a threat to the Telugu Desam. Already several seniors and trusted colleagues of Naidu have resigned and are waiting in the wings for a call from the new politician on the block.

The Congress is also likely to suffer in the coastal districts dominated by the Kapu community. Chiranjeevi is a Kapu and hails from the coastal East Godavari district.

He exudes confidence. "My party will sweep the next elections and come to power with an overwhelming majority," he told reporters at his first press conference.

Two scenarios are in sight. Chiranjeevi will come to power on his own or will create a hung assembly in Andhra Pradesh. With a few Lok Sabha seats and at least 25 to 30 per cent assembly seats, Chiranjeevi will most probably dictate terms both to the centre and state governments.

Will he become the fourth actor-turned-chief minister in the south? The first few months of 2009 will give us the answer.

The north Indians always dismiss the southern star phenomenon as something created by fanatic dark-skinned film fans (earlier derisively addressed as Madrasis). But north Indians must understand heart of the south. I personally feel that electing film stars is much better than electing dacoits, rapists, goons and criminals, as they do in the northern states.