20 years of Allu Arjun: The rise and rule of Tollywood's Icon Star
Allu Arjun is celebrating two decades in the film industry this year. Lovingly called Bunny by his fans, let's have a look at his background and the films that made him who he is now.
Icon Star, Stylish Star or even Bunny, Allu Arjun has been lovingly addressed by many names by his fans. Born and brought up in Chennai in a Telugu family to a producer, his father Allu Aravind, and mother Nirmala, it was only in the 2000s that the Allu family moved to Hyderabad.
Not many would be aware of the fact that Arjun’s grandfather, Allu Ramalingaiah, was a farmer-turned-actor who appeared in over a thousand films and was known for his roles as a comedian.
Coming from a filmy background, the actor’s elder brother is businessman Venkatesh and actor Allu Sirish is his younger brother. Megastar Chiranjeevi is his uncle, and actors Ram Charan, Varun Tej, Sai Dharam Tej, and Niharika Konidela are his cousins. he is married to Sneha Reddy. The couple tied the knot in 2011 and are parents to two kids, Ayaan and Arha.
Allu Arjun recently completed two decades in the film industry. The actor had worked as a child artist in Vijetha and was later seen as a dancer in Daddy. His journey as a lead actor began in 2003 with Gangotri. Directed by K Raghavendra Rao, the Telugu drama was about Gangotri, who falls in love with Allu Arjun’s character, Simhadri, their servant's son. They face opposition from Gangotri's father and things get complicated when he tries to kill Simhadri.
However, the Icon star rose to prominence with cult classic Arya in 2004 and made his presence felt. It was directed by Sukumar, who took notice of Allu Arjun when he was just 20 years old. The filmmaker was convinced this film would go on to make him popular even in Kerala, where he is now known as Mallu Arjun and has multiple fan clubs.
In a career spanning two decades, Allu Arjun has given several hits and blockbusters, including the 2009 film, Arya 2 (which was a spiritual sequel to the romantic action film Arya), Race Gurram (for which he won SIIMA Awards for Best Actor in Telugu), Rudhramadevi (which gave him three Nandi Awards) and the recent blockbuster, Pushpa: The Rise.
In his well-decorated career, he has worked with several renowned producers and filmmakers, including Dil Raju. DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham, which released in 2016, marked Allu Arjun’s third collaboration with the producer.
In 2014, he even appeared in a cameo role in Vamsi Paidipally's action thriller film Yevadu, alongside Kajal Aggarwal. The film has his cousin, Ram Charan, in the lead.
V. V Vinayak’s Badrinath, which released in 2011, featured Allu Arjun in the role of Badri, a modern-day Indian samurai who is assigned to protect the Badrinath Temple by his Guru- essayed by Prakash Raj. For his role, he undertook intensive martial arts and sword fighting training in Vietnam. Badrinath also marked his first pairing with Tamannaah.
Not only his on-point acting skills, but in a film industry teeming with talents like Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan, and Jr NTR among others, Allu Arjun has established himself as a superstar. The Stylish Star has also carved a niche for himself, thamks to his urban swag and dancing prowess, which was evident in songs like Butta Bomma from Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and Srivalli from his biggest blockbuster, Pushpa: The Rise.
He is now gearing up for the sequel of his blockbuster film, Pushpa: The Rule.