Hyderabad Dec 28 PTI Its a misconception that potboiler films dont provide a platform to the actors to explore their skills says Allu Arjun who wants to be known as a star performer rather than a starArjun who predominantly works in Telugu cinema said his recently released film Pushpa The Rise gave him an opportunity to try something differentWhile the 39-year-old actor likes to play to his strengths he doesnt stick to his comfort zonePushpa is a film that really pushed me to do something different I wanted to be known as a star performer that is my aim People always misjudge that commercial films dont have scope for performances There is tremendous scope rather which is untapped We need to explore itThere is more scope for performance in a commercial film than an indie or in parallel cinema In parallel cinema your performance is scene based while in commercial films it is dance action and scene based In Pushpa even if I dance less I am still in character Before Pushpa it was Rudhramadevi which is not just the usual film It was about performance no dance and less action Arjun told PTI in an interview hereBilled as a pan India multilingual action-thriller Pushpa The Rise is set against the backdrop of red sandalwood smuggling that follows the violence that erupts between the smugglers and copsReleased on December 17 in theatres in Telugu Tamil Malayalam Kannada and Hindi the first part of the film has amassed Rs 275 crores gross in 11 daysArjun said the team is pleasantly surprised with the overwhelming response to Pushpa Rise especially in the Hindi-speaking market The film earned Rs 3995 crore in Hindi since its releaseWe are glad that so many people are coming to theatres after a long time in this whole pandemic and enjoying the film We were not expecting this big response it is a huge surprise for us he addedIn his two decade-long career the actor has featured in action films such as Bunny Arya series Desamuduru Parugu Ala Vaikunthapurramloo and biographical period action movie RudhramadeviIn his latest Pushpa The Rise Arjun plays a red sanders smuggler in Andhra Pradeshs Rayalaseema regionThe actor said he shed his megastar image to play this character in the most realistic mannerI wanted to make it as a pan Indian film because the subject is such It is a difficult film to shoot physically mentally This film has a tone of seriousness unlike my other films I was looking at this role as an opportunity which nobody ever did We are used to seeing this kind of role in Tamil cinema but not here he saidArjun said he took classes to learn the dialect spoken in RayalaseemaI normally speak in the Andhra dialect Besides we shot some action sequences in a forest for about 50 to 70 days it also was physically very tiring During his growing up years he said he had heard many stories about the smuggling of the red sanders and the actor believes the subject may have generated curiosity among the audience about PushpaWe have heard about red sandalwood since it happens in Andhra Pradesh It is not an alien topic for us But it is an interesting backdrop for other languagesWe were banking on the uniqueness of it It The plant grows here in Andhra Pradesh All of this makes it a very authentic story We hope the authenticity of the subject will appeal to the people The movie also stars Fahadh Faasil Rashmika Mandanna Dhanunjay Rao Ramesh and Ajay GhoshMalayalam cinema star Faasil who makes his Telugu debut with the film plays the menacing Inspector Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat in Pushpa The RiseArjun said working with Faasil was a wonderful experienceI have seen a couple of his films He is a good actor He has justified the role in Pushpa He is a very hardworking and sincere actor and thats what has brought him where he is today I respect his work It has been a great pleasure working with him The movie marks Arjuns reunion with director Sukumar -- the two have delivered two blockbusters 2004 Arya and its sequel Arya 2 2009The second part of the film Pushpa The Rule produced by Mythri Movie Makers in association with Muttamsetty Media will go on floors in MarchWhen part one works there are tremendous expectations from part two It is going to be challenging We are now well prepared to shoot for the film Arjun added PTI KKP RDS BK BK

Allu Arjun’s much-awaited feature film Pushpa – The Rise has finally made it to cinema halls today (December 17). The multilingual action thriller is getting great reviews from the fans, who have once again fallen in love with Allu’s acting. The film chronicles the red sanders heist in the hills of Andhra and depicts the convoluted nexus that unfurls in the course […]