Legacy is not a Crown that’s Passed on: Bunny

The success of Sarrainodu is extra special for Allu Arjun because not only is the film the biggest hit of his career, but also because it was produced by his father Allu Aravind.

“I have given many hits, but this one was long due for dad and me. My earlier two films under my home production didn’t do well and this time we wanted to deliver a hit and we did it. So this is really something special for me,” says Allu Arjun.

Commercial by choice

The actor says that he wanted to reach a section of the audience with Sarrainodu and the film did it. “Most of my films have done extremely well in Telangana and also overseas, but in AP my films are not in the top five list. That’s the reason I choose this commercial entertainer. In most of the districts my film is in second or third position,” he says.

He adds that he knew the film was going to be a hit. “But I never expected it to be so big,” he says.

Records don’t matter, but...

Allu Arjun says that he is not interested in records or collections, but this time he was keen because he wanted to know how many people watched the film. “I would get an idea about the kind of audience who watched my film as it would help for my next film,” he said, adding, “I know those numbers are not permanent as they change in a few days.”

He says he puts in hard work for all his films. “If the film is a hit people talk about the hard work, but if it fails, they may not notice, but I give my best for all films,” he says.

No tension

“I wasn’t tensed ahead of Sarrainodu or my earlier film Race Gurram. Because before the release I watched both these films and I know the content was good, so I was happy. I had expected both to do well, but Sarrainodu exceeded my predictions,” says the actor. He adds that if he is tensed ahead of a film, then it means that something is wrong with it. Varudu and Happy were two such film that didn’t do well.

Arjun had played Gona Ganna Reddy in Rudhramadevi and had been appreciated for the role. “Actually, the character of Ganna Reddy helped this film do well. Because people thought that I was giving better performances and was trying something different. That’s how it helped,” he says.

“I want to do more films, because if you do a lot of films you become a better actor. From now, I want to do two films a year,” says the actor.

Transformation

Would he watch his debut film Gangotri that was released 13 years back?

“No, I would run away and hide somewhere if someone asked me to watch it. I didn’t know anything like camera angle, skin colour, hairstyle, costumes etc. I didn’t take care of any of those things. In my next film Arya you could see a lot of change in all areas, especially my outfits,” he says. Arjun is happy that people got to see the transformation in him from his Gangotri days.

A mature Arjun

The actor has changed a lot over his last three films. “I discuss the next day’s scene with my director so that there is no confusion. I am doing this from my last three films and it actually helps a lot,” he says.

Chiranjeevi had praised Arjun at the film’s audio success function, saying that he had become more graceful and matured. “It all comes when you grow up. Now I have crossed 30 and one definitely becomes more mature. More than that, once you understand your limitations, you can grow as a better person. I now know what to do and what not to do and speak carefully.”

Carrying on the legacy

Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan are nearing the end of their careers and it is up to the younger generation like Allu Arjun and Ram Charan to carry forward the legacy. Are they under pressure?

Says Arjun, “I don’t believe in legacy. I feel that the ‘mega’ tag definitely acts as a platform, but after that it’s all on the individual. Legacy does not mean a crown that is passed on, we have to create our own paths,” he says.

Does his wife Sneha interfere in his work? “No, not at all, she always gives me space. But I share details of films like director and the genre, that’s it. She is not at all interested,” says Arjun.

There have been reports that his wife looks after his costumes and styling, but Arjun denies it. “In these five years, she has come only twice or thrice to the shooting spots. Recently, they visited the set on my request as I told her that the colours of the set were good and Ayaan might like the colours.”

Does his son watch his films on TV? “No, there is no TV on our floor. Because TV is not good for him at this age. Sometimes we show videos of songs on our mobile. He likes the songs of Baahubali a lot,” reveals the actor.

No multi-starrers

The actor adds that he is not interested in multi-starrers. “Currently I am not interested in doing multi-starrer films as I want to give some more hits individually. But I want to do another special role like Gona Ganna Reddy,” reveals the actor.

He also has some words of appreciation for actor Varun Tej.

“He is taking a different path. I like the way he chooses his films, from his first film to the recent one, they are interesting and I like him. He is not following us as he wanted to go on a different path from the beginning of his career.”