Allu Arjun celebrates Arya’s 20 year: ‘Sukumar Sir changed my life forever”

At the 20-year celebrations of Allu Arjun's blockbuster film Arya, the Telugu star said director Sukumar has changed his life forever with his films.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | May 8, 2024 11:14 AM IST

3 min read

Allu Arjun with Sukumar on sets of Pushpa

Pushpa has made Allu Arjun transcend the boundaries of Telugu states and become a nationwide star. Fans of the actor have director Sukumar to thank for it. And it is not the first time Sukumar has changed the life of Allu Arjun forever. Allu Arjun, a child artiste till then, debuted as a lead hero in the film Gangotri. Despite being a decent box office success, the film didn’t make the much-needed impact for the actor in the industry. It was his second film Arya, which propelled him to instant stardom that changed his career forever. Now, with Pushpa, the director has pulled off a similar success at the national level. Reminiscing all this, Allu Arjun, at the 20-year celebration of Arya, called Sukumar the person who had the biggest impact on my life.

“I would like to keep it brief and simple. People are intelligent enough to understand the gravity of the statement. If there is a person in my life, who has changed my life the most… if I look back on my life after two or thirty years and have to say ‘Who is the single person that had the maximum impact on my life?’ I would say Sukumar Sir. There’s no other person who is even remotely close to him. My association with him has changed my life forever. He brought this train (referring to himself) from a remote forest and put it on a track.” He added that his life was ‘-100’ before Arya, and the film made him ‘100’.

“If I had to use a metaphor to explain what Arya is to me, I would call it the biggest jump in my life ever. I was at – 100. I didn’t start at zero. I started Gangotri at zero. Despite its success, I couldn’t make a mark. It was my mistake. From – 100, I went to + 100 (because of Arya). That is a 200 percent jump. I can’t top it in my life ever. Many more hits can come and go, but it is the biggest jump, and it will always be.”

After Arya, Allu Arjun and Sukumar again teamed up for Arya 2, which also turned out to be a hit. Allu Arjun turned out to be the biggest star in the Telugu industry, while Sukumar became one of the top directors. Now, all eyes are on the two as Pushpa: The Rule has become the much-anticipated movie of the year across the country. The film will be released on August 15, 2024.

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