'Anji' was released in 127 theatres in the state which was less than half the theatres 'Lakshmi Narasimha' was released and one-third the centres 'Simhadri' was released.

If you thought this meant that Chiranjeevi fame was dwindling and he will not find a place in the Indian top 50 the next time, you have to look at this incident which happened at Nellore during the Mahasivarathri day, March 18th.

The place was Archana complex in Nellore.
The idol was Chiranjeevi's cutout of the film 'Anji'.
The poojaris turned up in hundreds for the occasion. The devotees in thousands.

What took place was a spectacle, if you are a Chiranjeevi fan and an eyesore if you are just an innocent passerby. One by one the self-proclaimed Poojaris climbed up the 72 feet cut-out of the Megastar and started their offering to the Megastar. Imagine 500litres of milk being wasted on a cut-out in a country where poverty is an alarming 33% of the population.

After all the offerings, the devotees sang songs from Chiranjeevi's latest hits and left the scene only after about an hour. The cut-out was almost in shreds when the function ended and the theatre owner had to go without one for more than a week before ordering a newone.

Chiranjeevi welfare association was the one which planned this function.