First it was the surprise, channel-aired wedding. Then, it was a naturally distraught Chiranjeevi making a statement giving his blessings and wishes to his daughter and new son-in-law Sirish Bharadwaj. Even as the debate continued among scribes as to whether the megastar will himself make a statement before Dassera, the visibly homemade video clipping was aired all through the weekend. Then as an added Dassera bonus to the viewers and media people alike, there were too many incidents today that kept the media persons totally occupied. Right from Delhi to Hyderabad, various channels and media people were busy getting the coverage of the biggest drama ever seen within the Telugu film glitterati.

While we had Srija’s uncle and Chiranjeevi ‘s youngest brother Pavan Kalyan going to the police station and surrendering his revolver at one end, there was Srija and her husband giving statements to the press in the capital city Delhi. First thing in the morning, Pavan Kalyan made an unexpected visit to the Jubilee Hills police station and deposited his revolver with the police. He insisted it had nothing to do with the sudden marriage of his niece Srija and said that he just wanted to assure the newly-weds and the public that no harm would come to the young couple from either himself or his family. He said that his elder brother Chiranjeevi presented the revolver to him. Pavan happens to be the license holder of the revolver and is a member of the Chennai Rifle Club. He said he gave away the revolver and license as he no longer feared attempts on his life and said that he was willing to die for his country and people. With the news of his visit reaching his fans, the police station and the adjoining areas saw hordes of his fans coming to see their favourite star and this added to the confusion.

Later in the day, Pavan Kalyan held a press conference and took questions from media about his twin marriages, fate of Srija and Sirish and his upcoming philanthropic pet project. Pavan Kalyan first expressed his angst over the elopement and subsequent secret wedding of Srija. He said his family were naturally hurt with the serious turn of events, but insisted that it was more out of concern for Srija, than about her secret wedding. It was also revealed that Surekha, Srija’s mother was bed-ridden and was on the verge of being taken to the hospital. Also, given the earlier case on Sirish, he said his family was more worried about Srija’s future than about harming Sirish. Given such conditions, he said that it was for the people and the groom’s family to understand that Chiranjeevi’s family or his fans would never physically hurt Sirish. Pavan Kalyan also said that his and his brother’s fans were civilized people who merely adored their stars. He then invited Srija and Sirish to come home.

In some other city, in Delhi, Srija and Sirish filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, which granted them protection. The final hearing of their case was postponed to October 29. The couple then took part in a press conference and said that they were on a vacation in Delhi, post marriage. Srija told the media that since she and her husband feared being separated, they left to Delhi and sought the court’s protection. Sirish, rubbished media reports that they were in hiding and said that they would return to Andhra Pradesh once their security is assured. Meanwhile, Srija apologized to her father and family for any pain she caused to them by her acts and said that she hoped to return to Andhra soon and get the blessings of her family. In another turn to this action-packed day, Pavan Kalyan announced at the specially held press conference that he would soon be launching an organization called the ‘Common Man Protection Force’ to address the various ills within the society in 30 to 40 days. He said that he was very moved and distressed by cases of child trafficking, incidents of epidemics that could have been avoided, plight of the girl child, security of young girls among others. Given his current popularity and the support of his fans, he felt the time was ideal for him to float the above-mentioned organization. He, along with partner Renu Desai, donated Rs One Crore from his personal savings to the to-be-launched organization.

Pavan Kalyan also took the opportunity to clarify about his earlier wedding to Nandini. He is in a live-in relationship with Renu Desai for the past many years and they have a son from their relationship. Pavan Kalyan said that he was willing to make himself transparent henceforth and added that he wouldn’t mind serving a jail sentence. Incidentally, he didn’t nullify his earlier marriage and his ex-wife had sued him for deserting her and remarrying. He insisted that he was not married to Renu Desai, but accepted that she was his current partner.