Actor Allu Arjun is pleased as punch with his maiden theatrical release in Hindi.
Almost two weeks into its release in five languages -- Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi -- 'Pushpa: The Rise' continues to bring in the crowds to the theatres.
"It's my first Hindi theatrical release. It's definitely far more beyond my expectations. When we released the movie, we didn't have much expectations. It is more like testing the waters. I'm so glad that we got it right in the first shot. It's been amazing that we got our first shot right," Allu Arjun told IANS.
Known for the classy urban look that he cultivated over the years, Tollywood's stylish star, as Allu Arjun is known, surprised everyone by opting for a rustic role in his first foray outside the south Indian languages market.
Although 'Pushpa' is his first offering to Hindi audiences, Allu Arjun is a known face, thanks to dubbed versions of his movies which are very popular in north India. His choice of movie and role was not a gamble, Arjun emphasises.
"I always keep experimenting with my looks for every film. This film is definitely very different from anything that I have done before. I was looking at it as a huge opportunity to do something very new. I absolutely didn't look at it as a risk. In fact, I was looking at it as the USP of the film. We were banking on the look for this film. I knew if we get it right, it'll be the USP of the film. We put a lot of effort to get it right. So, I think the credit goes to the director for bringing such a canvas and to get it right, and giving me full freedom to experiment as much as I wanted to," Arjun said.
'Pushpa: The Rise', which was released on December 17, has managed to bring in the audiences to theatres, despite the release of '83' on December 24. And Arjun feels that the realism in 'Pushpa' has worked its magic across audiences in India.
"I can't comment on '83' because I haven't seen the movie yet. What worked for 'Pushpa', I think, is that it's a mass film set in a very natural screenplay. I think that works for the audience. It has a very realistic treatment of a commercial film. So I think the realism connected across many other languages. When it is realistic, it has a more universal appeal. I think the realism in the film has caught the people's imagination," the actor said.
