Telugu star Allu Arjun is keen on exploring the “new terrain” by making his Bollywood debut. He says he is generally flooded with Bollywood offers but is yet to get the “great ones”.
His 2008 Telugu film “Parugu” was remade in Hindi as “Heropanti”. Many of his films have been dubbed in Hindi.
Asked if he has considered acting in remakes of his own films or do a Bollywood film some day, Arjun told IANS: “Yeah, a full-fledged Hindi film is something that I am interested in. I think any south Indian actor would be interested because it (Bollywood) is such a big industry and a new terrain to explore.”
“I think it’s about the right project and director with the right team,” added the artiste, whose debut film “Gangotri” as a lead actor released in 2003.
Has he got any offers so far? “Not any great ones. We keep getting something or the other, but nothing great,” said the “Arya” actor.
Many south Indian actors like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ram Charan and Dulquer Salmaan have tried their hands in Hindi films. Even though some of their films met with success, they don’t quite enjoy the same kind of fan following or stardom that they do back home.
“I think it is a matter of success. You can take the example of Dhanush. He did a Bollywood film (‘Raanjhanaa’). It worked really well. I think it all depends on the film. Dulquer did (Bollywood) films. I don’t think they worked that much,” said Arjun.
“To be a big actor in Bollywood, the key is consistency. I think consistenly these people have either not been showing interest or delivering…,” he added.
Arjun’s latest Telugu film “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” has many known Bollywood faces such as Tabu and Pooja Hegde along with songs by Armaan Malik and Shreya Ghoshal. Is this his way of inching closer to Bollywood?
“Sometimes we feel that some of the Bollywood actors suit the role. More Bollywood actors like Murali Sharma and Sachin Khedekar have also worked on the film. It’s just that sometimes we feel that we need somebody from outside to bring in freshness. That’s why we go for Bollywood. I don’t think that is anyway going closer to Bollywood,” he said about the Trivikram directorial that will be dubbed in Hindi “much later”.
The son of producer Allu Aravind did introduce the regional film to a wider audience through national media.
“My father and uncle have been doing great work in south. All these years, I feel, there is a lot of gap between north and south in terms of information and appreciation of each other’s work,” said the actor, who comes from a family of actors and producers.
“Of late, because of social media, everybody gets to see everybody’s work and the lines are getting blurred. I think it is time to exhibit (your work), break the wall that’s been separating us. We always think that ‘Okay, this film is not going to release in Bollywood, so what’s the point of promoting it for national media. There is no immediate tangible result for this film’. I think this mindset should change.
“All the actors should step up and start exhibiting their films to national media. Eventually they will get to know and will help the industry,” said Arjun.
“Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” hit the screens on Sunday on the festive occasion of Sankranthi. Around the same time, other biggies’ films also released.
“Sankranthi is a season when every year, there are two to three big films that release. Competition is something that is always there. There is nothing to feel nervous about. It is part of our job,” said Arjun.
“Our movies are spaced out. We are not clashing on the same date. Rajinikanth’s ‘Darbar’ released on January 9, Mahesh Babu’s film (‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’) on January 11, mine on January 12 and another one (‘Entha Manchi Vadavura’) on January 15. The season is so good that almost all the films do well,” he added.
“Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo”, a family entertainer, already has a hit soundtrack that features numbers such as “Samajavaragamana” and “Butta Bomma”.
“The songs have become a sensation. The soundtrack has become one of biggest trump cards of the film. Every actor has a strength. One of my core strengths is music. That’s why we have focussed a lot more on the music of the film,” said Arjun, who’s also popular for his dance moves.
