Actress and producer Sriya Reddy on Wednesday, 2 September penned a heartfelt birthday tribute for her 'They Call Him OG' co-star and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, celebrating not his stardom but his quieter, more personal acts of empathy. 'May the kindness you quietly give to others always find its way back to you,' she wrote, closing a lengthy message shared on her Instagram stories.

What Sriya Reddy Said

Taking to Instagram, Sriya reflected on what sets Pawan Kalyan apart in her experience of him. 'People will speak of many things when they speak of you. But what stays with me are the quieter things — the way you listen, the way you remember, and most importantly, the way you turn someone's words into action,' she wrote.

She described these gestures as rooted in 'genuine empathy rather than recognition or applause,' and suggested that true compassion was not about grand gestures but about 'empathy in motion.'

Three Acts of Kindness She Recalled

Sriya shared three specific instances to illustrate her point. First, she recalled how Pawan Kalyan listened to Deepika, captain of the Indian Women's Blind Cricket team, speak about the state of the road leading to her village — and subsequently acted on her concerns. Second, she recounted how an elderly woman had once invited him to return to her home, and that he kept that promise years later. Third, she wrote: 'When women who work with their hands needed something as simple as reading glasses, you made sure they had them.'

'You listen. You remember. And then you act,' Sriya summarised, framing these as the qualities that define him beyond the screen.

Their Bond on 'They Call Him OG'

Sriya Reddy played the pivotal role of Geetha in the Pawan Kalyan-starrer 'They Call Him OG'. At the time of the film's release, she had also taken to her X (formerly Twitter) timeline to express her gratitude for the experience, writing: 'Working with great actors … sorry wonderful human beings on the set #theycallhimog has made the experience even more sweeter and grateful!' In that earlier post, she had described Pawan Kalyan as a warm and endearing person 'who spreads his wings for everyone to come and take shelter under it.'

The Broader Picture

The birthday tribute comes as Pawan Kalyan continues to straddle two very public worlds — Telugu cinema and active politics as Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Notably, tributes from co-stars that foreground his off-screen character rather than his cinematic legacy have become a recurring pattern around his birthdays. Sriya's note stands out for its specificity — naming real people and real incidents rather than offering generic praise.

As Pawan Kalyan marks another year, those who have worked closely with him appear to remember the person as much as the performer.