Allu Arjun's 'Rise': How Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, Pushpa Became Game Changer For Pan-India Star

Allu Arjun turned 43 on April 8. While his popularity was limited to the Telugu states in 2021, the year marked a significant shift for him as his big-ticket film Pushpa: The Rise hit the big screens. Known to a few, Allu Arjun became the hero of the masses with the franchise and his "rise" is only going to be meteoric hereon.

Allu Arjun comes with many film connections. Born on April 8, 1982, in Chennai, he is the son of Allu Aravind, a prominent film producer. His grandfather was well-known comedian Allu Ramalingaiah, who starred in over 1,000 films. Allu Arjun started out as a child artist with Chiranjeevi’s Vijetha in 1985. In 2003, he debuted as a male lead with Gangotri.

Also read: Did Allu Arjun Turn To Numerology After Pushpa 2 Controversy?

However, it was Sukumar who gave him his first successful film and turned him into an actor producers could bank on. Arya (2004) marked Allu Arjun's arrival on the screens. He followed it with commercially successful films such as Bunny (2005), Desamuduru (2007), Arya 2 (2009), Vedam (2010), Iddarammayilatho (2013) and Yevadu (2014). His charismatic screen presence, energetic dance performances and stylish persona earned him the monikers Stylish Star and Icon Star.

The Telugu star became known to audiences across the country in 2020 with Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, a family drama and comedy. The movie was widely watched on YouTube and became one of the biggest hits on streaming services during the Covid pandemic. While everyone was making an intentional effort to go pan-India, Allu Arjun's nationwide fame was by fluke.

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo was also remade in Hindi with Kartik Aaryan, but failed to click with audiences. The movie had already been watched widely on OTT.

Also read: Allu Arjun Gets Paid More For Atlee's Film Than Pushpa 2? Find Out

Pushpa: The Rise was the real turning point in Allu Arjun's career. While the film industry was reeling under the pandemic pressure and the audience was seemingly reluctant to return to the cinema halls, Allu Arjun brought them back in the North and the South. His character Pushparaj, a labourer who rises to become a sandalwood smuggler, and his many famous Hindi-dubbed dialogues such as ‘jhukega nahi’ or ‘Pushpa flower nahi, fire hai’, found resonance with audiences all over. In Hindi, Pushpa minted over ₹100 crore, at a time when Bollywood releases were complete washouts. In all languages, it earned over ₹300 crore. The movie also earned him his first national award. 

Now, Allu Arjun's fanbase had been waiting for the sequel and lapped it up. The film became the biggest hits of all time and also the highest grossing Hindi movie of all time, beating the likes of Jawan and Stree 2.

Now, all eyes of Allu Arjun's upcoming films, one of which will see him come together with Atlee.