Allu Arjun basks in the fanfare that greets him. He is mobbed when he reaches Bengaluru for the promotion of his film Sarrainodu and the crowd literally carries him into the lobby of the hotel. Others want a “selfie” with his public relations officer, if not with the star himself.
The actor remains unfazed. “They (the fans) have never intruded on my personal space. I love every bit of it. We are in this profession to see this day,” he says and adds that even though he is a Tollywood actor, he has received undiluted adoration from Kerala and Karnataka. “Honestly, the fan base in Karnataka is so huge and equivalent to Kerala. It is more than the Telugu industry. It is really overwhelming to know that people love me so much,” he states.
Coming to his film, Sarrainodu which released on Friday, the actors reveals that the title means ‘The Perfect Man’, but he is quick to point out that there is no deeper philosophy behind the title. “We picked it because it was catchy and it suited the story. The character is an all-rounder in the film,” he says.
The film directed by Boyapati Srinu has a mass subject, which Arjun has opted after doing films that have been catering to younger and the A-sector audiences. “My recent films have been focused on the educated classes. I now wanted to do one for the masses,” he points out.
Being the face of a big budget film with `50 crores, the actor asserts that there is a lot of money riding on him but eventually a “god’s gift” and moreover “teamwork”. “There are over 800 people working on the film, some of who the audience may never see, and you are representing all of them. That’s why every actor, when on stage, makes sure to credit the team. There is a lot of effort put, but the most beneficial is you. What more can one ask for,” he notes
Production Foray
Allu Arjun’s production house, headed by his father Allu Aravind has for the first time associated with Sandalwood. They are co-producing a Kannada film, Gandu Endare Gandu, a remake of the Telugu hit Bhale
Bhale Madivoy. But the actor says that he was always close to industry since they are good friends with the Rajkumar’s family. “I have always been close to Puneeth Rajkumar, Dr Rajkumar was also close to Chiranjeevi.
We have mutual respect for each other. I have always watched Kannada films and the last one was Rangitaranga. Especially, in recent times, Kannada and Tamil industries are seeing beautiful original films being made,” he points out and clarifies that he is fine as an actor and does not want to get into direction.
Mallu Arjun
The actor reveals that he is equally adored in Kerala where they call him Mallu Arjun. “It is my greatest pride. I want to do better films to impress them and hopefully do a film in Malayalam only for my Kerala fans and I will do a Kannada film for all the fans out here,” says Arjun, who takes an opportunity to thank all his fans for their love. “I hope to do great films and impress every fan and want to be the good icon for South Indian cinema.
Outside film sets
If not movies, Allu Arjun keeps himself busy with photography. “I love to click pictures. I like to capture my growing son. I love clicking my niece and nephews. Basically I like interiors and I keep decorating my own properties.”