Marking veteran actor Kaikala Satyanarayana's birthday today (July 25), Pawan Kalyan has urged the Centre to confer Padma Shri on him. He said that the senior director-producer and former parliamentarian has rendered yeoman services to the field of cinema.

"Kaikala Satyanarayana garu has played a range of roles in a number of films over the decades. From folk to fantasy and other genres, he has tried them all. He played an important role in bringing the Telugu film industry to Hyderabad from Chennai. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's our fortune that such a man was born on our soil," Pawan stated in a note.

"When I used to be in Madras, I developed a bond with him. He used to speak with me lovingly. When he got elected as an MP from Machilipatnam, it was a happy moment," the Jana Sena chief added.

The 'Vakeel Saab' actor said that the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh must try their best to ensure that Kaikala receives Padma Shri.