While Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and the massive Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024) officially crowned him as a “Pan-Indian” superstar, Allu Arjun has had a massive following across India for over a decade through dubbed movies and digital releases. For more than ten years, people across India have known him. They watched his films in Hindi on TV. They shared his songs online. They copied his dance steps and now his film is getting screended in Japan with a packed crowd. Long before the iconic character of Pushpa Raj came into being, Allu Arjun had a strong fan base far beyond Telugu cinema. Let’s take a deeper look.
Blockbusters that built his image
Before ‘Pushpa’, Allu Arjun gave many big hits. ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ in 2020 was his biggest success then. The film was loved by families. Songs like ‘Butta Bomma’ played everywhere. ‘Sarrainodu’ from 2016 became a cult favorite in North India. Its Hindi version ruled YouTube for years. ‘Race Gurram’ in 2014 showed his energy and comedy. With the film, he has received multiple awards as well. Additionally, one cannot forget his breakthrough film ‘Arya’ with Sukumar. The sequel ‘Arya 2’ also did well as their Hindi dubbed versions ran nonstop on TV channels.
How did North India fall in love with him?
Allu Arjun’s reach also grew through music, television and YouTube. ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ songs went viral on reels and short videos. ‘Sarrainodu’ and ‘DJ’ got massive views in Hindi. People already knew his face, style, and dance. When ‘Pushpa’ was announced, the audience did not need an introduction. He was already familiar.Similarly with the critically acclaimed movie ‘Vedam’, which was released in 2010, gave him respect as an actor. It showed he could do serious and emotional roles too.
From being a popular star to being a record breaker
However, with the release of ‘Pushpa’, it changed the scale of his success. The first film earned around Rs 350 crore worldwide. On the other hand, ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ went even bigger with over Rs 1742.1 crore collection globally.It is safe to say that his earlier hits like ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ and ‘Sarrainodu’ laid the base and Pushpa only took him higher.Allu Arjun has some of the most anticipated films in his backpack. The Icon Star will be next seen in director Atlee’s next sci-fi film. Later, he collaborated with director Trivikram Srinivas and later with Lokesh Kanagaraj, who is known for creating his Cinematic Universe.
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