Ram Charan completes 15 years in cinema; here's what 'papa' Chiranjeevi had to say..

They say, stars aren't born overnight and it takes years of struggle and failures to be called one. However, in the case of Chiranjeevi's son and actor Ram Charan, we could say he was a natural and a piece of clay waiting to be moulded by the right set of people. He was lucky to have found an able mentor in the form of filmmaker Puri Jagannadh right in his debut Chirutha. With the film's release anniversary today, Ram Charan completes 15 years in cinema.

With his very second film, Ram Charan earned a huge blockbuster with SS Rajamouli's Magadheera and a firm foundation after which he never had a reason to look back. After the success, he changed gears with a light-hearted yet mature romance Orange, which despite its commercial failure, earned a lot of praise for the actor and director Bommarillu Bhaskar. Box-office successes like Racha, Naayak and Yevadu cemented his position in the industry.

While his Hindi debut Zanjeer (made as Thoofan in Telugu) didn't perform well, he went back to basics and became more prudent with his script choices. When his filmography deserved a film that tapped into his abilities as a performer beyond his stardom, director Sukumar offered him Rangasthalam. The rural drama is among the best films in the careers of the actor and the director. With the right composure and restraint as a partially deaf man, Ram Charan's performance was a work of art and classy.

What Zanjeer couldn't achieve for Ram Charan, SS Rajamouli gave him with a global success like RRR. Many thought it was tough for the star to better himself after Rangasthalam, but Charan did the unthinkable as the fiery, righteous cop Alluri Sitaramaraju. The hidden intensity of the freedom fight Alluri was brought alive with terrific histrionics, body language in RRR and it was a welcoming sign to see two major stars in Telugu cinema keeping their egos behind for a good story.

Sky is indeed the limit for Ram Charan, who is on the verge of completing his 15th film with star director Shankar. The star is yet to formally announce his other projects. One of his other impressive performance was for director Krishna Vamsi's family drama Govindudu Andarivadele. As a grandson trying to heal the wounds of the past with his grandfather, it is certainly one of his underrated portrayals that deserve more love. He also produced Chiranjeevi's Sye Raa and Khaidi No.150.

Responding to his son's feat, Chiranjeevi was a proud father today, as he shared on Twitter, "On reaching the 15 years milestone, fondly reflecting on @AlwaysRamCharan‘s journey in films. It is heartening how he has evolved as an Actor from #Chirutha to #Magadheera to #Rangasthalam to #RRR ..and now to #RC15 with Director Shankar. Supremely pleased at his passion, body of work, dedication and his innate urge to excel at what he does. Proud of you my boy! Here’s to greater heights and greater glories that await you! Go for it! May the Force be with you!"