In the early 2000s, there was much anticipation around the debut of Chiranjeevi’s nephew and Allu Ramalingaiah’s grandson. At the age of 20, Allu Arjun, who was born and raised in luxuries decided to play a village boy for his big debut. While his debut or some of his other anticipated films might not have gone as planned, Arjun danced, fought, groomed and reinvented himself to superstardom nonetheless. On his 44th birthday, looking back at the five eras of his career.
Trolled for his looks
Chiranjeevi is a Megastar who’s known as much for his looks as his acting skills. So when Arjun debuted in 2003 with Gangotri, he was nothing like what fans had expected. Social media didn’t exist back then, but to date, his pictures and videos from the film are cruelly used as meme material. Not because of anything other than how he looked.
Arjun, too, admitted in 2024 at an event that, despite the film being a commercial success, he didn’t get many offers. He said, “Nen ekkado chudadaniki pedda goppa ga lenu anesi naku pedda great films raledu (Gangotri was a hit, but I didn’t look great, so good films didn’t come my way).” Nobody was ready yet to bank on a diamond in the rough.
Resurrected as a lover boy
But then came Arjun’s resurrection as a lover boy with an urban character. A mathematics and physics lecturer from Kakinada was debuting as a director and could see the potential in the actor. Thus came Sukumar’s 2004 debut film, Arya, which showed the actor in a whole new light – as someone who could dance as if his life depended on it. His dance lived up to his uncle’s legacy, and his comedy, his grandfather’s.
At the film’s 20th anniversary, Arjun said, “When I watched Ravi Teja’s Idiot, I wanted to star in a cool film like that. Arya is my Idiot. I knew I could dance well, and I just wanted the opportunity to prove it. I got that with the song, Thakadhimithom.” The film ran in theatres for 125 days, became a massive hit and is much-loved even today.
Earning the Stylish Star moniker
It was not long before Arjun was starring in films like Bunny, Happy, Desamuduru, Arya 2 and Vedam – films that cemented his place as a ‘mass’ yet urban hero. His styling in these films also caught everyone’s eye. His style didn’t just capture the early 2000s cultural zeitgeist, but also earned him the moniker ‘Stylish Star’.
Arjun arrived in Tollywood, and despite competition from his contemporaries like Jr NTR, Siddharth, Prabhas, Nithiin, and Uday Kiran, and eventually from his cousin Ram Charan, the actor managed to carve out his own niche. Fans would hit the markets in hope of bagging something similar to what Arjun wore in films – be it a cool T-shirt or cargo pants.
An unintentional break and slump
Films like DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham and Sarrainodu fared well commercially in the 2010s, but there was a feeling that his films weren’t as fun as they once were. Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India was even panned. Arjun had an unintentional two-year gap after that before the release of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (ALVP) in 2020. He famously said, “Gap ivvaledu… vachindi (I didn’t take a gap, it happened),” at the film’s pre-release event.
ALVP was one of the few films that year which were released before the COVID-19 pandemic hit India. The film was a commercial and critical success. Arjun had gotten his groove back. Everyone was anticipating what he would do next when he announced the film with his Arya director, Sukumar.
The birth of Icon Star
But when Pushpa: The Rise was about to be released in 2021, the sceptics wondered if Sukumar and Arjun could pull it off. The actor was playing a rural character again, this time with a Chittoor accent. Haven’t we seen how this went before? The director was also known for his sophisticated urban films. The promotional material hardly hinted at any scenes in which Arjun would get to dance, unless you counted him dragging his leg in Srivalli. His costumes were as plain-jane as they came.
And then the film hit screens, people realised Arjun was a revelation as Pushpa Raj. Thus was born the ‘Icon Star’. Even when Pushpa 2: The Rule was released in 2024 after a three-year gap, many were sceptical whether the film could live up to the first one. It did and became the highest-grossing film Tollywood had ever seen with an over ₹1800 crore worldwide haul. Arjun even donned a bright blue saree this time while dancing his way again into people’s hearts.
Arjun now has films with Atlee and Lokesh Kanagaraj lined up, in addition to one he had already committed to with Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Where Arjun’s career takes him next from here, and if he continues to define the cultural zeitgeist, is something only time can tell.
