Rajnikanth says I have fans here: Allu Arjun
With the film 'Badrinath' set to hit the screens this week, Telugu star Allu Arjun is naturally excited. He's been touring across the southern states to promote the film and Bangalore, incidentally, was on the top of his list of places to be. And there's good reason for that too.
The film, he says, is easily the most expensive one he has been part of. "I'm not just an actor in this movie; I'm also the producer's son," says Arjun, who feels a close connection with the film as he has also been involved in its production. There is also an impressive sequence of songs and dances, he says, "I think the audience can expect good dances from this movie, I am saying this humbly, not overconfidently. I had a good choreographer."
Arjun has come back to working with Chinni Krishna, the screenplay writer, who also wrote Arjun's debut film 'Gangotry'. "I think Chinni has done a fab job," says Arjun, adding, "I hope the audience receives it well." The actor also reveals that the preparation for this role was rather intense. The intricate storyline has Arjun playing an Indian samurai, a role for which he had to spend two months in Vietnam -- preparing for.
"Peter Hein has directed the fight sequences. I trained under a woman named Lee, who is a professional and has even participated at national level competitions," he says. The amount of training and hard work that went into the film is no joke, as Arjun insists. "We shot continuously for 60 days in the Himalayas, and that has never been done before. We filmed in spite of the critical weather conditions," he says.
The film is the only Telugu film to be releasing simultaneously in Malayalam also. "The Malayalam film industry is extremely supportive," Arjun says. But that isn't the only industry he is happy with.
Arjun speaks of the audience in Karnataka with enthusiasm, and says he finds the industry here very receptive. "Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are close neighbours and our languages are similar; so the audiences are good." Certainly, Allu Arjun has a huge number of fans in Bangalore. "Superstar Rajnikanth told me there's a huge craze in Karnataka for me. This was Rajnikanth! Talking to me about craze! Coming from him, it was the best compliment I've ever got."
Source: Apoorva Tadepalli, DNA-Daily News & Analysis