(Image source from: Young Charan stuck in seniors' shadow})

Zanjeer/Toofan is Charan's 6th release so far and every step of the way, he is being forced into shoes too big to fill. When Chirutha, his first film released, he was compared to his superstar father. Today, he is compared to no less than Amitabh Bachchan. Both senior actors have a lot of films behind them.

Why are viewers not able to see him as an actor on his own merit? Well, his dad Chiranjeevi played, and still plays, a major role in his films. Anyone born with a silver spoon is bound to draw some flak. Is he his father's son? If we really think about it, he is simply Charan. Call it luck or coincidence, he seems to bag larger than life films. Think of Magadheera and then Zanjeer.

Combine silver spoon and immense luck, people find it hard to digest all this success. Hence, the comparisons and fault finding. An actor's biggest asset is his ability to connect with the audiences. After Charan's roadside brawl, many find him to be too protected and privileged. Consequently, a disconnect and distance from the audiences, if we leave die hard Mega fans out of the equation.

Another factor that makes many people draw comparisons and conclusions about him is his need to be diplomatic and uptight. Being in the public, Charan himself said it becomes a responsibility and one has to watch themselves always. A direct result of this is a stony face of course.

Adding fuel to fire is, Zanjeer, which did not give him much scope for emotions. It is an action film and did not allow him much space to emote and relax. No romance to make audiences find a connect. Stars, these days, are making a lot of effort to connect to the audiences. The starry aura is not for the current generation, who the audiences want to see as people just like them. Charan is, sadly, still in the upper stratosphere. It's time for the starry actor to chip away some of the glitz.

AW: Sruthi