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Allu Arjun stuns in bald beast mode for Atlee’s Raaka, co-starring Deepika Padukone; fans compare avatar to Planet of the Apes
Allu Arjun and Atlee unveiled the title and first look of their upcoming action fantasy -- Raaka. The film, which also stars Deepika Padukone, is expected to release in cinemas next year.
Allu Arjun and Atlee's film titled Raaka.
Exactly a year after announcing that Allu Arjun would star in a film directed by Atlee, Sun Pictures has unveiled the title and first look of the much-anticipated project on the actor’s 44th birthday on Wednesday. The production house, along with Arjun, Atlee, and leading lady Deepika Padukone, shared the film’s assets across their official social media handles. The film is titled Raaka.
First teaser of Allu Arjun’s Raaka
Fans were speculating everything from prehistoric beasts to aliens after the picture of a furry claw was teased on social media on Tuesday. The first look, dropped by Arjun, revealed him to be that creature, a furry beast with sharp claws, striking the same pose as his X display picture, but in this beast mode. He also sported kohl-rimmed eyes and a bald look, adding to the excitement of fans who would witness him in a never-seen-before avatar.
#RAAKA pic.twitter.com/BY1dzQFLY8
— Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) April 8, 2026
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Pushpa star also announced the title of the film, along with the dubbed titles across Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam — Raaka.
Netizens react to the first look
Some X users joked that Atlee seems to have a “bald fetish”, given he also presented Shah Rukh Khan in a bald avatar in one of his looks from the 2023 blockbuster action thriller Jawan. Many also hailed Arjun’s dramatic transformation to be as striking as Andy Serkis’ Caesar in the popular Hollywood franchise, Planet of the Apes.
About Raaka
Raaka will also see the reunion of Atlee with Deepika, who had a memorable extended guest appearance as Shah Rukh’s wife in Jawan. The film is expected to be heavy on VFX as the team behind Hollywood blockbusters like Jon Favreau’s 2010 Marvel movie Iron Man 2 and the sci-fi franchise Transformers are working on the project, and claim Raaka to be “unlike anything I’ve ever read.”
Last year, Ranveer Singh also spilled some beans on Raaka while talking about Atlee. “It’s always great hanging out with him and working with him and his super-duper awesome team. I happened to visit him on the set of his current film because my wife was shooting with him. You may have heard this before, but you can hear it from me — he is creating something you’ve never experienced or seen in Indian cinema before,” said the Dhurandhar actor.
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