Chandrababu was very passionate about acting despite opposition from his family members. His friend Ganapathy was the only person who motivated his acting skills. From his childhood, he was an expert in singing and whenever he got together with his friends or family, Chandrababu was asked to sing. Sri Lanka had a very western outlook in those times and Chandrabubu picked up on western styles of singing and dancing while there. In these early years Chandrababu made acquaintances of the actors Sriram, B. R. Panthulu and, through them, T. R. Mahalingam. They appreciated his talent in singing and mimicry of Hollywood stars such as Charles Boyer. He made his debut with a small role in the 1947 film "Dhana Amaravathi" but struggled thereafter to obtain parts.