Bunny would love to do a Malayalam film

There has been a surge in the number of female visitors to Emmanuval Silks’s showroom in Kochi ever since it was splashed in the media that Allu Arjun was to inaugurate the garment retailer’s store in Kottayam. These teenagers were not looking for clothes but wanted to know if the ‘Stylish Star’ of Tollywood had any programme in Kochi.

“I am still amazed how there is so much of craze in Kerala,” says the star. “When I was shooting in Alappuzha for Varudu, it was hard to complete the shoot because of the fans, despite the presence of about 20 policemen.”

Alappuzha holds a special place in his heart since he remembers accompanying uncle Chiranjeevi- garu during one of his shoots there before he became an actor. “There was this beautiful location in the backwaters where hundreds of ducks flew from the water,” he says, adding that kakka (oyster) is one of his favourite Kerala delicacies. “I would like to do a Malayalam film. Since the fans own me so much here, I owe it to them that I do a film. I would like to do it with a top class director. The second reason is that I want my filmography to include a Malayalam film so that I would be known not merely as an actor who did Telugu films,” he says.

The other big, well-thought-out plan for him is to make his debut in Kollywood. “I have been trying for a long time and I am in talks with a couple of directors and hopefully, it will become a reality this year,” says the man, who was born and brought up in Chennai, and has not allowed any of his films to be dubbed yet in Tamil.

“If I break into the Tamil industry, I will be big,” he says. The biggest? “Why not?” In fact, Allu has this vision of the South Indian film industry functioning as one unit.

“I expect this to happen in the next ten years. The barriers are already breaking down. See how the actresses are jumping markets. Only when we reach out to other markets and help each other will our industries grow. See, in Hyderabad, there are cinema houses that show Malayalam films regularly and similarly there is a market here for films in other languages. Why, even the line between north and south is now blurred. South Indian actors are now popular in the north too. Kolaveri was liked everywhere. The south has changed and the perception about the south is changing too,” he says.

He was so poor in studies that he flunked his seventh standard exam but what came in handy in his acting career was his early exposure to dance, gymnastics and martial arts. He is, however, not one of those who look down upon conventional education.

“It would have been fantastic if I had studied well and succeeded. You may be able to succeed in life even without formal education but it will give you an edge. I thought it was not important but I understand now that I was wrong.”

“Success is a journey, not a destination,” sums up the man, revealing a sharp intellect behind all that brawn. “If I am in a certain position now after ten years in films, it is because of many factors including family support, fan base, my own sensibilities and the directors I have worked with.”