Telugu actor Chiranjeevi and family cheer PV Sindhu to victory

TWO-time Olympic medallist and shuttler from India, PV Sindhu, who kicked off her 2024 Paris Olympics campaign with a win earlier this week, was pleasantly surprised to have Telugu cinema veteran Chiranjeevi and his family in attendance for her first match.

The 29-year-old secured a decisive straight games victory over Maldives' Fathimath Abdul Razzaq in the women's singles group stage on Sunday (28).

On Instagram, Sindhu shared a picture with Chiranjeevi, his son and RRR star Ram Charan, his daughter-in-law Upasana Kamaneni, and his wife Surekha Konidala posing with the Indian national flag.

"The loveliest surprise at the Olympics was having Chiru Uncle and the whole family, including the sweetest Kaara, for my first match in Paris," she wrote, also referring to the star's 13-month-old granddaughter Klin Kaara Konidela.

The ace badminton player also described Chiranjeevi as "possibly the most respected actor in cinema". "There are very, very few people in this world who possess the class, grace, and charm quite like Chiru Uncle... there’s just no one quite like him. To Upsi, Charan, Chiru Uncle, and Surekha Aunty, you guys are special," she added in her post shared on Monday (29).

Sindhu, who is vying for a third Olympic medal, took just 29 minutes to dispatch her lower-ranked opponent 21-9 21-6 in the Group M fixture.

The 10th seeded Indian, who won the silver medal in the Rio Games in 2016 and a bronze in the last edition in Tokyo, will take on World No 75 Kristin Kuuba of Estonia in her second group match on Wednesday. (PTI)