‘The whole India will come together to celebrate one film and that film is our film.’
“I remember the first scene we shot in Pushpa. It was the Srivalli song,” Rashmika Mandanna says at a promotional event of her upcoming biggie, Pushpa: The Rule.
“I am pouring milk and was so nervous about meeting Allu Arjun sir for the first day. How do I react to sir? He’s been a superstar for such a long time. I don’t know how to behave, then and today, standing here in front of sir. He’s family, he’s home. The five-year journey has been so different and emotional. Today, here we are and he’s always going to be super special,” she adds.
She may have been nervous in front of him but it didn’t show at all, when they danced to the film’s brand new song, Angaaron.
Watch them dance here:
Rashmika admits that a lot has changed for her since she came to Mumbai in 2021 with Pushpa.
“Whenever I came for a film shoot to Mumbai, I used to be asked just one question: When is Pushpa 2 releasing? Today, with all of my heart, confidence and excitement, I can proudly announce that we’re coming to you on December 5.”
“Out of seven years of my journey as an actor, five years has been with Pushpa,” Rashmika says.
“Pushpa is home. And now, when we’re done with the film, I don’t know how to react to it because I’m very, very sad that it has ended.”
Allu Arjun greets fans in Marathi with, “Namaskar, kasa kai Mumbai.”
“I would like to thank my entire crew, my unit, Mumbai is the media hub of this country, so when you address something in Mumbai, it means that whole nation and the whole world is watching,” he says.
“I would like to thank my entire unit and their support for me from the COVID times. It was hard to shoot for 400, 500 people during COVID times.”
“In the last four years, I have only been working with one actress, my Srivalli, Rashmika,” Allu Arjun says.
“We’ve become almost like family. I’m so comfortable with her. I want to take two minutes and thank her for everything that she’s done for this film. Her support is immense. There’s no way this film is complete without Srivalli’s support.”
Allu Arjun considers his audience as God and says, “We’ve given three years of our lives to give you, the best product possible. I hope it touches your heart. I have lost my voice. I just need to dub one or two small corrections but I need to rest tonight. I consider the audience as God and when you give God, there is no limitation. You should try to give the best of your abilities and we will try to do our best.”
Pushpa 2 will release in 12,500 screens worldwide in six different languages on December 5.
“The whole India will come together to celebrate one film and that film is our film,” Allu Arjun says.
“I love my fans. They are like family. They fight for me. They stand by me. They celebrate me. I will make you all proud. If this film becomes a big hit, I will dedicate this film to all my fans around the world.” he adds.
Allu Arjun looks back at the five-year Pushpa journey.
Allu Arjun has kept his beard for the last five years that he shot for this film.
“I was waiting for the film to get over so I can shave! My daughter doesn’t even come to me because I have a beard. I haven’t kissed her properly in the last three-four years,” he says.
He becomes emotional and explains, “I think Rashmika finished the shoot a day before me and she was tearing up. I kept joking, ‘Why are you crying, why are you tearing up?'”
“She said in seven years of my career, almost five years I have shot for this film. It’s like home. I said, we will miss you too and all that. The next day, when I finished my shot, it genuinely got very heavy for me. I just went quiet because in the last five years, I’ve been seeing the same people, the same faces. I want this film to be a hit for everybody else, not just for me.”
