Hyderabad:With 20 films as a leading star, 7 blockbusters, and 6 superhits to his credit, Allu Arjun has managed to have more hits than misses in his over two-decades-long acting career. The first Telugu talent to have won the National Award in the Best Actor category for his 2021 release, Pushpa: The Rise, is celebrating his 42nd birthday today. To mark the occasion, here is a retrospective on how the actor outgrew the legacy and carved an identity of his own in the family of superstars.
Born on April 8, 1982, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Allu Arjun hails from a prominent Telugu film family. He is the grandson of Allu Ramalingaiah, a legendary comedian and producer in Telugu cinema. Initially, acting was not Allu Arjun's first career choice. He aspired to be an animator, but the influence of the family atmosphere eventually gravitated him towards becoming an actor.
Though in his initial years, the actor was known more for his dancing prowess and uber cool style quotient, it took him a few years to prove his mettle as an actor and connect with diverse audiences. Over the years, Allu Arjun has garnered a large fan base, particularly among the youth, owing to his charismatic screen presence.
The actor made his acting debut with the film Gangotri (2003), helmed by legendary director K. Raghavendra Rao. As a debutant from a prominent filmy family, Allu Arjun deserves credit for daring to perform in the song Mavayyadi Mogalthooru, in drag. The film was a superhit, and Allu Arjun laid the foundation for his career with film jointly bankrolled by his father Allu Arvind and C. Ashwini Dutt.
However, it was Arya (2004), directed by Sukumar, that truly changed the game for Allu Arjun. In this film, Allu Arjun plays a happy-go-lucky young man named Arya, who falls in love with Geethanjali (played by Anuradha Mehta), despite her existing relationship. In retrospect, the film's theme may sound problematic to many, as it can be perceived as promoting toxic masculinity and having no regard for female agency.
Sukumar, who made his directorial debut with the film, tried blend humor, action, and emotions into this romantic drama, which resonated well with the audience. The dubbed version established Allu Arjun as a superstar in Kerala too, and ever since then, the actor has enjoyed a considerable fan following in Kerala. One of the reasons for the success of Arya also goes to Devi Sri Prasad, who scored superhit melodies like Feel My Love and Nuvvunte, while Aa Ante Amalapuram managed to cross state boundaries and was enjoyed by students at college farewells.
In the coming years, he followed up with the commercial success of films like Bunny (2005), Desamuduru (2007), and Parugu (2008), which further solidified his position in the industry. In 2009, Sukumar and Allu Arjun again joined hands for Arya 2, the sequel to their 2004 blockbuster hit. However, this time their union met with an underwhelming response from the audience. The streak of unsuccessful films continued with the release of Varudu and Vedam, both released in 2010. Nevertheless, the actor managed to garner critical acclaim for pulling off a noteworthy performance in the limited screen time that he had in Vedam.
The uptick in Allu Arjun's career began again with the release of Badrinath (2011), followed by the superhit Julayi (2012). The actor then starred in films like Iddarammayilatho (2013) and Yevadu (2014), after which he again hit the bull's eye with Race Gurram (2014).
He then tried his hand at historical drama with Rudhramadevi (2015), which was average, but he regained his grip with commercial formulaic films like Sarrainodu (2016) and Duvvada Jagannadham (2017). Both blockbuster hits further enhanced his mass appeal and stardom.