A day before Chiranjeevi met Jaganmohan Reddy, a reliable source in the Andhra Pradesh BJP pinged to say the meeting is also because the Megastar is eyeing a Rajya Sabha seat. It seemed a far-fetched thought at that point in time because the two had not met each other for years.

Moreover, in all his interviews to promote Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, Chiranjeevi had expressed regret at having entered politics and had in fact, advised Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in Tamil Nadu to stay out of it as well. Three, his brother Pawan Kalyan is the third force in Andhra politics and openly anti-Jagan. 

But in the last week, this buzz has only gained currency on social media. Whether it is by design or default, one cannot say. This despite the Andhra Pradesh Chief minister’s office putting out a note saying no politics was discussed during the Jagan-Chiranjeevi luncheon meeting during which their spouses were also present. Chiranjeevi, it was informed, only invited Jagan to see Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy at his convenience.

What has propelled this is Chiranjeevi’s subsequent meeting with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and efforts to meet the Prime Minister and Home minister. He also invited Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, but curiously not the chief minister. Again, the official reason given is that the actor wanted to arrange a screening of his movie, which he did for Naidu and Soundararajan. But then if that was the only reason, he should have shown it to Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. After all, he was a minister in the UPA cabinet.

The speculation is that Chiranjeevi is eyeing a nominated Rajya Sabha berth given to prominent personalities. Rekha, Sachin Tendulkar, Lata Mangeshkar have been some of the Rajya Sabha MPs in the recent past and Chiranjeevi, without a doubt, is one of the tallest actors from south India. 

But in the same vein, people are wondering if Chiranjeevi’s daughter-in-law Upasana’s complaint that south film stars were not invited to the PM’s meeting on Mahatma Gandhi on Saturday, has spoilt the plan. Or is it an indication that the seat in the Upper House is not happening.