I have Never Looked so Good: Allu Arjun

From a not-so-great-looking guy in "Gangotri" to a 'stylish' star in "Arya 2," Allu Arjun's transformation has been remarkable. The actor has carefully cemented his position not only in Tollywood, but also in other Southern markets like Kerala and parts of Karnataka .

After a brief sabbatical, post the critically acclaimed, "Vedam," and his wedding to Sneha Reddy recently, Allu Arjun is back with a new look and an all new perspective."I spent two months in Vietnam, learning martial arts for my latest film. I didn't want to be inHyderabad as I would be distracted with my social life here. I spent eight hours a day at the gym to achieve my current look. Now that I sport a six pack, I feel my body has never looked this good," he adds.Blame it on the 'epic drama' resemblance, but the comparisons between Allu Arjun's latest flick and "Magadheera" were inevitable. "I was to do this movie long ago, but Tollywood wasn't technically equipped to make it. "Magadheera" is a semi-periodic film, while my movie is contemporary. A few movies tried to copy the hit formula, but it didn't work. A 'wannabe Magadheera' can't be a "Magadheera" ever," Allu Arjun explains.With his movies releasing in Malayalam too, "Mallu' Arjun, as he is being called, is overwhelmed with his Malayali fan base. "I guess Malayali women like bubbly, happy-go-lucky guys and I am all of that," he quips, adding, "I'm yet to discover how I'm such a hit there. The fans there are difficult to win over. The Kerala market may be small, but the reach is very wide. I am told Malayalis inRussia and Paris too watch my films and that's something!" The actor is now consciously on the look out for good scripts in Tamil too.Allu, who is usually reclusive, recently lashed out a few cinema websites for writing gossip about him. "I can handle rumors about me. But I don't like things being written about my wife and my family. They don't need to pay a price for me being a star. That's why I reacted," he explains.In fact, his 'married status' has changed him considerably, Allu Arjun admits. "I have not stopped partying, but the patterns have certainly changed. The parties I attend are restricted to family and close friends. I started out with school parties and then rave parties, followed by lounge parties and now it is time for sober parties," he quips.The star even keeps away from social networking sites, unlike his contemporaries. Instead, he started his own website, 'www.alluarjunonline.com'. "I don't need to be on any micro-blogging site because people don't think about what they say there. At times, people abuse and it is too harsh for me to handle. With this website, it's just one-way communication and I am happy with it," he says.