There's no room for unhealthy rivalry: Allu

Tollywood screen scorcher Allu Arjun seemed in high spirits when we caught up with him on the sets of his new film recently.

The flamboyant superstar might be a party animal, but remains inaccessible to the media unlike a lot of his more publicity-savvy colleagues. In his new film, Allu breaks the typical Tollywood tradition and does the unthinkable —he plays a “grey character”! Surprisingly the “gamble” says a buoyant Allu “seems to have worked at the BO and the film has notched fantastic collections not just in Hyderabad, but even in Mumbai, Chennai and overseas.”

His cousin Ram Charan Tej’s Magadheera has turned out to the biggest money-spinner in Telugu cinema. Is Allu’s new film going to recreate a similar magic at the ticket-windows? Allu feels, “It’s unfair to draw comparisons between the two films. Films like Magadheera happen once in a lifetime and even Charan will vouch for it.”

Apart from Charan, Allu’s friends Prabhas and now Rana are a vital part of T-Town. Does competition worry him? “Actually we are all very close to each other. There’s absolutely no room for rivalry among us. I always go that extra length to help them out in their endeavours,” he reasons. So there’s no no room for professional rivalry at all? “Well, we are contemporaries, but we don’t step into each other’s territory. For instance, if our films are about to get released on the same day we avoid that by mutually changing the release date of one the films. Unlike the past, the Gen New breed of actors have no such rivalry. Our fans might like to think otherwise, but the truth is, we work in harmony,” he points out firmly.

Allu admits that as an actor he’s open to “experimenting” with his films. So, while Vedam “is an exciting concept”, Varudu is a masala flick with loads of “kick-butt scenes.” The young actor has always preferred working with newcomers over established stars and insists that he “prefers” to “work with debutantes” who have a freshness about them, “are ready to learn more”, and are “open to suggestions. I have become very friendly with a lot of my female co-stars.”

For someone who lives by the mantra, “work hard and party harder” Allu wants his colleagues to “live life” on their terms and consider “films as just a part of life”. Probably that’s why, the man who’s wowing Tollywood for six years likes to make the most of his upcoming break (“a month of sitting at home, catching up on the world and busting stress”). That’s the quintessential Allu for you, served uncut and sizzling as always!