It was 13 years ago on this day that Megastar Chiranjeevi captured the imagination of a generation with his portrayal of an anti-corruption crusader in VV Vinayak's 'Tagore'. After 'Indra', Chiru's craze was at an all-time high. Having played a number of socially conscientious roles in the past, he was no stranger to the image of an onscreen radical. That a universally appealing name like Tagore was chosen as the title only helped position the film among youngsters in a big way. The title exuded so much optimism that it was enough to soften the ruthless killer character's image in the eyes of the audience, at least psychologically.

A year ago, 'Indra' had set the benchmark high in terms of collections and the number of theatres in which it was released. Moreover, it had a spectacular performance across centres in terms of 100-days (98 centres) and 175-days (32 centres) run. 'Tagore' released in this heightened atmosphere. Megastar's legions of fans were sure that VV Vinayak (who already was one of the most sought-after directors) wouldn't let them down.

There was formula. There were Paruchuri Brothers. There was Mani Sharma. There were two heroines. Wouldn't it be as good as an 'Indra'? the fans hoped.

Vinayak didn't let them down. With Chiranjeevi, you can't afford to be anything less than insuperable when it comes to dialogue and music. After all, 'Indra' rode to glory on these two, thanks to which Chiru could mesmerize an entire State with his spectacular dialogue-delivery and dance moves.

Tagore had them all. Here we bring you 13 reasons why 'Tagore' became the biggest hit in the Megastar's career.

1. Chiranjeevi's righteous rage: As Chiru stood up, he came across as righteousness personified. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the only actor would could have done that powerful role. As someone in his late 40s, he seemed high-brow enough to portray the role of an intellectual rebel.

2. Modus operandi: Although many knew it would be another 'Bharateeyudu' spiritually, the modus operandi employed by Chiru's vigilante group did the magic. The first half was a new movie-watching experience because of that factor in no small measure. Prakash Raj's character was a pleasant surprise. His contribution to the film's success is unsung, though.

3. Paruchuri Brothers' dialogues: The dialogues in a few scenes had the audience rooting for Tagore's cause. 'Telugu bhasha lo naku nacchani oke okka mata, kshaminchadam' was on the lips of crores. The scene where Chiru dishes out AP-related statistics by-heart is another big one.

4. Mani Sharma's music: Much as Mani Sharma's music couldn't have seemed that great without Chiranjeevi's iconic dances, it's true that the other way round is also true.

5. The pre-climax & climax portions: The entire stretch starting from 'Nenu saitham..' (which won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics) till the court room proceedings where Chiru outrages over the cancer called corruption eating into the country's vitals were the best part of the movie. The new-generation audience found their views reflected in Tagore's words when Chiru spoke about brain drain, the Abrahmam Lincolns of India remaining downtrodden for decades and Rabindranath Tagore's immortal 'Where The Mind Is Without Fear' in the court room scene.

6. Speculations about Chiru's political arangetram: There is an extra-filmi reason why 'Tagore' became such a monstrous hit. It had to do with speculations about Chiru would be plunging into politics before the 2004 Assembly elections. In the event, that didn't happen. Chiru's public image of being a do-gooder (read blood bank) only took the film to the next level.