Allu Arjun’s frenzied dance in a saree in the teaser of Pushpa 2 has become a global sensation within hours. What we get to see in the trailer was not easy to achieve.
Say a source very close to the film, “What you see in that brief one-minute trailer is nothing. The crazy dedication of the crew especially Allu Arjun is beyond anything we have seen in any Indian cinema. Arjun gave 51 takes just to get his movements perfect in his introductory shot. That’s the level of his dedication. Which Bollywood superstar will agree to dance in a Saree?”
Resul Pookutty who has designed the intricate sound in Pushpa and its sequel is all praise for Allu Arjun. “He is a phenomenal guy.The clarity with which he is doing his work and the way he wants to present it to the rest of India, I’m amazed at it.He is a genuine guy to the core.I know him from long .As a young boy he used to hang around my sound trolly when I was doing Aamir’s Ghajini’s sync sound. Allu Arjun’s father Allu Arvind was the producer, they weren’t even aware of Sync Sound then, so all were excited. So he still has that love and respect for me. I’m fortunate to be in his company and working together.”
About the stunning teaser of Pushpa 2 which has taken the country by storm, Resul says, “It took me seven days to do the sound design and mix of the one-minute teaser…. If I ask for two days from a Hindi film-producer, he will laugh at me… That’s the difference Sir, they know what they are doing and they do it passionately.When I was mixing the sound for Pushpa 2 , the director was super-busy with the remaining shoot.So he left everything to do with the sound to my fair judgement.”
Resul reveals that Allu Arjun has been a part of every department of Pushpa 2. “He has taken a keen interest to see how the teaser was shaping up.The camera man Miroslaw Kuba Brozek, production designers Monika and Ramakrishna, they all came in to studio just see and feel how it’s going. It is such a unified working environment they create! One is bound to come out with one’s best work. And the music composer Devi Sri Prasad , such a darling… He couldn’t join the sound-mix procedure , but we were on a hotline sharing mixes and listening and correcting… and you can see and hear the results in the design and mix.”
Pushpa star Allu Arjun is in no hurry to conquer the Hindi film industry. Unlike his contemporary from Telugu cinema Prabhas who is very keen to conquer the Cow Belt, Allu Arjun, like Mahesh Babu, is happy to address his fans from where he is.
In an interview in 2020 Allu Arjun said to this writer, “Don’t get me wrong. Bollywood is a lovely place. I love the work that’s being done there. A film like 3 Idiots is truly inspiring to me. There have been offers from Hindi cinema. But for me to take a break from my busy career in Telugu cinema it has to be something worth the effort. Maybe some day soon.”
Arjun’s equation with the box office has changed after Pushpa. Though Pushpa The Rise was not such a grand hit in Andhra and Telangana its pan-India success placed him above Prabhas in the all-India market.
Here is the one thing that Arjun would never abandon. “I am never going to step off the commercial platform. It is where my dreams were realized and as far I am concerned it is the commercial cinema that gives me all the success and fans.”
Speaking of fans does it get too much to handle them? “Not at all. I love their attention. I am what I am because of the fans. They’ve made me into the person that I am today.
Would Allu Arjun like it if his son and daughter showed an interest in acting? “I’d welcome it. Right now they’re too young. But when they’re old enough to choose their own path and if they tell me they want to be actors, I’d extend all support to them. I come from a family devoted to cinema. My grandfather gave his life to the movies. And my father is completely devoted to producing films. For me cinema is life.”