Indian Cinema
Allu Arjun: Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you. I'd like to, I'd like to thank the entire media for being here and taking this event to the hearts of the people. Thank you very much.
And it's an absolute delight to address to the national media for the first time in my life. It's a great moment for me. Thank you. Thank you very much, and I'm pretty positive that I will keep seeing you a lot more in the future.
Thank you. That's so nice of you sir. That's so nice of you. A brilliant human being, a wonderful dancer, brilliant actor.
So what is that one thing that you see in a movie before signing, you know, a movie? What is that one The intention. Mm. The intention and what you're doing the film for.
Right. Are you doing it for the money? Are you doing it for the release? Or are you doing it for the audience?
The intention is above all. Right. Unfortunately, sir, because of, the unfortunate, circumstances, this took a lot of time, you know? Absolutely. What do you have to say on that, sir?
You know. It's a very difficult film to shoot. We were shooting this film in a forest, and we were a crew of almost 500 people. Right. And the logistics to provide 500 people food, accommodation, sanitation, all this was very difficult in a remote, forest area.
Right. So it is a very difficult to film to shoot, especially during the COVID times with so many COVID restrictions. Mm-hmm. I think I would I said it earlier also, this one Pushpa film was equal to four films' effort. First of all, I'd like to thank the audience all over the North for receiving South films and making it so big.
Not just about watching, South films in, not just about watching South films in the North, we equally also admire Bollywood, you know, Hindi cinema. We've always been admiring it for years, for many years. We also invite Hindi cinema to dub into our languages and come, and we will be there to support your films also.
It is not about, you know, South cinema or North cinema, it's about Indian cinema. We're I think we all will grow together as the biggest cinema in the world in the years to come as Indian cinema. Thank you. This is the first time, in spite of your movies working so well on satellite, working so well online, theatrically, this is the first time your Pan India film coming.
So henceforth, like you have Icon releasing, there is Icon, and there's probably a Koratala Siva movie also. Henceforth, is every Allu Arjun movie going to be a Pan India film? Mean, there is no, doubt about it, there's no option?
Preferably, I would like to make it everything Pan India because not just about Pan India, I'm saying why are you even restricting to that? You know, maybe somebody else wants to watch it, somewhere, you know, people in other countries, maybe Sri Lanka, neighboring countries, Pakistan, other countries want to watch it. We don't know. You know, language is no barrier for, cinema.
So I think we should just go for, I would say more than Pan India, I would say we should go for a multi-language release and see how far we can go as Indian cinema. Interviewer: Hi. Hello. You look so pretty and beautiful- Rashmika Mandanna: Thank you. Yet Interviewer: you portrayed, the character, it is a de-glam character.
Yes. So did you have any inhibitions? Inhibitions? No. Mm. Rashmika Mandanna: I think I had no inhibitions when it came to I knew I was playing a different character. I knew that I had to pour my heart, soul, sweat, everything into this character because this is, like I keep saying, this is a whole different world that we're entering.
And when, you know, actors like sir is doing such hard work and you know, I'm getting this opportunity to, you know, work with sir, I can't have inhibitions and be like, "Oh my God, do I look pretty? Do I look that? Do I look this?"
I have to worry about the performance. I'm like, "Am I am I doing a good job? Am I doing that?
Is it coming through? Is this character staying strong? What is happening?" So for me, it was all about performance in this film, and I think, once the audience see it on the 17th, I think it'll come through and please give us your reviews.
Allu Allu Arjun: And ma'am, to second that, I'd like to speak about how Rashmika performed and what is it. I truly, appreciate, Rashmika ji for, you know, performing like this and taking up such a challenging role. It is a little rustic role, and it's not a very conventional glamorous role.
It is quite challenging, and like you said, I was fearing if would she feel that she's not looking good because that is a very huge factor that plays on the mind, and if your mind is not clear, your performance will not be clear.
But then after she landed on the set and she worked, she started working, I think she had the mindset that this film is this and we have to justify this film, and she did a wonderful performance. And I couldn't have performed if not for her help, because every artist should compliment you for your performance.
She performed so well, it was very comforting, and it was very complimenting to work with such a wonderful artist. Tomorrow, I'm sure you'll all will appreciate her performance. She can't speak for herself, but I can definitely speak for her because I've seen her perform in front of my eyes.
Thank you. And the song that Interviewer: Thank you. Just witnessed, you know, you performed, exactly like a stone man guy, you know, yet you looked so sexy. Thank you. So, you look Really, sir?
Yeah, of course. Me too? And I was just going to ask I was After that I'll ask you. I mean, you look so handsome and Ah, looks is not my thing.
Good hunk. Why don't you why don't you do a romantic role also? Huh. My previous film was a romantic film. Okay, coming back to the song, I was ask, the gestures that you did, you know, reminded me of so much of Rajini sir that small nuances.
So will there be a comparison with the Thalaiva? Allu Arjun: Ma'am, more than comparison, I'll say it's more of an influence because I was born, brought up from So obviously, I have a lot of subconscious absorption from big superstars like, Rajini sir, like Kamal sir, you know? That's why if you see, I'm very like, if you notice that, then I you know, then I came to Hyderabad.
Mr. Chiranjeevi was my own uncle. You know, when I see him, he he dances really well, and there are his nuances. So I think, you know, subconsciously, when you and as a child, when you grow up seeing these people, you absorb them, and they're, they're subconsciously in your mind, not that I very consciously want to do it.
If it came across like that also, I don't have an issue, and I think it's maybe a. You can say maybe it's a tribute for them in a way, my respects for them in a way. Interviewer: Today, Wikipedia says, "Allu Arjun is an Indian actor who primarily works in a particular industry," or "Rashmika Mandanna is an Indian actress who primarily works."
I think there is an, insane amount of respect and appreciation for all kinds of films. I have seen that, you know? From the time I have been here, I've seen that, we have welcomed, all kinds of movies, and I'm not saying about us, I'm talking about the Indian audience.
While I speak to you there's a friend, who's an RJ in Punjab who told me that, "Listen, please tell them that we are excited to watch the movie." I have a nine-year-old niece, who told me when Siti Maara released that, "You know, it's Allu versus Sallu." I said, "How did you know?"
So these are things, when you say that you. Am I really, people do do really people love me that much? There is an insane amount of love maybe which you will get to see with this film.
I wanted to know, do you see the changing shifts in the industries and the respect that is given to each other? Let her speak, then I'll speak. Yeah, both of you.
Rashmika Mandanna: I think there is an extreme, as in the last decade, I think we've seen such a shift in our cinema in our field. I've just entered the industry in four years, but I've seen so much happening before I entered. And when I'm a part of Indian cinema now, and I can't be proud of, it, I couldn't have entered a better time.
You know? I think this is the perfect time that I'm in the industry because I see, like you said, the languages are, you know, merging together. We're having pan-India releases. It's gonna be, like sir said, Indian films rather than South India film or you know, a Bollywood film.
It's not gonna do that anymore. In a couple of years, I think it's just gonna be Indian cinema. Yeah. You know, probably we're going to go globally, you know, dubbing our film in their languages, so we just need to see the reach.
I think we should always experiment with that, but I think it's fascinating, and it's super. It's amazing to see all. People just appreciate content now.
People just want good content. You know, people want good filmmaking, and when you give it, people appreciate it, and they make it their own. Allu Arjun: It's a very wonderful question that you asked, by the way.
You should see cinema, how it's running, how the trends have been running in the last 10 years. Like, I'm saying, in the 2000s, you know, it's a very clear back between the South cinema and North cinema. You know? Let's be honest about it.
And then if you see the entire 2010s, you know, the bridges, you know, there's been beautiful bridges thanks to people like Manish Ji you know, who have, bridged those gaps. And now everybody's getting familiar with each other's cinema, and I'm telling you from the next decade onwards, from the 2020s, the lines will be so blurry that it will not matter where it comes from.
It is only the content that will matter. There'll not be South actors, North actors. It'll all be about Indian cinema growing, and I'm telling you with wonderful platforms that have opened like OTTs, there's so many set of new filmmakers, directors, actors, technicians.
You know, this has opened up amazing horizons for us in entertainment industry. And we as Indian entertainment industry, not just cinema, we as Indian entertainment industry are going to be the, a very huge or probably one of, probably the biggest players in the next decade. And I'm very positive as a country we will go up.
Interviewer: But you know, on a, on a, you know, in one of your earlier interviews, you had mentioned, that, you know, a Hindi film in your filmography is very important. Sorry, can you be a little loud? You had mentioned earlier that a Hindi film in your filmography is very important for you.
Have, has there been offers that you have considered or probably now, like you said, you know, the lines are blurring. Do you want to do a pure Bollywood film? Allu Arjun: Absolutely, I love Hindi cinema.
You know, somehow I sometimes even I use the word, but I don't like to use that word Bollywood as much as possible because, you know, it sounds like second to Hollywood, and "" So I like to say Hindi cinema. So even by habit, you know, sometimes even I say Bollywood, but I keep going as like, "No, say Hindi cinema, "" coming back to your question, I've, I love Hindi cinema.
I love Hindi music. I appreciate them so much, and like, I definitely it'd be a great, moment in my life to do a straight Hindi film, and it'll be a very, it'll be a landmark point of my career, and I want to make it, I wanna make the best choice possible.
And to just answer what you said, there have been people who ask for films here and there, but nothing very, excited, nothing very exciting. So I think slowly, you know, we've been having soft talks, like if we can do something, how is it to mount up something big.
Because even the people who are coming, they are also saying that, "When we have to come to you we have to come with something solid." So I think once everything falls into place, I think we I will try to plan, with maybe a little help of Allu Arjun Garu if he helps. So also, Just joking.
I think we'll try to come up with something big and you know, make it memorable. Thank you. Thank you so much, my dear Rashmika. It was a pleasure working with you.
You know, you know, everybody calls her National Crush. You know, I've heard of people who are calling her National Crush, so I simply cutely teased her on stage. I was like, "Oh, please come, Crushmika."
National Crush. Plus Rashmika, thank you so much, and I hope you all like, and we all, I'm hoping that we touch your hearts with Pushpa.